Marilyn Monroe Estate Defends Ana de Armas Keeping Cuban Accent In ‘Blonde’

Marilyn Monroe's estate is defending the casting of Ana de Armas in Blonde, stating that she “was a great casting choice.” The statement was released after the actress received criticism for her keeping her Cuban accent, despite looking like the iconic bombshell.

Although the Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Marilyn Monroe estate, did not authorize the film, their president of entertainment Marc Rosen said in a statement: “Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history. Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill. Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability. We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!”

In an interview with The Times of London, de Armas, 34, revealed that she worked on her Monroe accent for almost a year. “It took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions [to get the accent right]. It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried,” she said.

The Knives Out star also opened up to Vanity Fair back in 2020 about filmmaker Andrew Dominik’s decision to cast her to play Marilyn. “I only had to audition for Marilyn once and Andrew said ‘It’s you,’ but I had to audition for everyone else," she said. “The producers. The money people. I always have people I needed to convince. But I knew I could do it. Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly. You see that famous photo of her and she is smiling in the moment, but that’s just a slice of what she was really going through at the time.”

Watch the trailer for Blonde, out on Netlfix September 28 below: