By The actress, who portrays Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s NC-17 portrait for Netflix, revealed that she visited Monroe’s grave to ask for “permission” to play her onscreen.
Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates’ novel, stars De Armas as the Hollywood icon in a fictionalised account of her life, from Norma Jeane Baker to Marilyn Monroe, the world’s most sought-after celebrity.
“We got this big card, and everyone in the crew wrote a message to her,” de Armas said in a recent interview “Then we went to the cemetery and put it on her grave. We were asking for permission in a way. Everyone felt a huge responsibility, and we were very aware of the side of the story we were going to tell — the story of Norma Jeane, the person behind this character, Marilyn Monroe. Who was she really?”
De Armas previously shared that she had felt the spirit of Marilyn while filming Blonde, saying: “She was happy but she would also throw things off the walls at times and get mad when she didn’t like something.
“Being in the same places that she was, filming in her house, it just felt there was a very strong sensation, there was something in the air.” She continued: “I think she was approving of what we were doing, maybe this sounds very mystical or something but I think it’s true, we all felt it.”
The No Time to Die star clarified that she did not practise method acting and reverted back to being de Armas between takes.
“Don’t get me wrong, I had so much fun,” she said. “I wasn’t by any means in character for nine weeks, not between takes, not in my lunch break. I was Ana. But emotionally? The weight of it stayed with me for sure”.
Blonde is released on 28 September on Netflix.
Image: Vanity Fair & Netflix
