Blonde director Andrew Dominik notoriously called his Marilyn Monroe biopic “the NC-17 version” of the actress’ story, but it’s not for the reason you might expect if you spent time around the adults-only section of a 1990s video store. (Kids today will never know the powerful mystery of wondering what’s behind the forbidden curtains.)
When asked by L’Officiel about the rating, a first for a Netflix film, star Ana de Armas said, “I didn’t understand why that happened. I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde. But to tell this story it is important to show all these moments in Marilyn’s life that made her end up the way that she did. It needed to be explained. Everyone [in the cast] knew we had to go to uncomfortable places. I wasn’t the only one.”
The Knives Out actress didn’t try to “imitate” Monroe, she explained. “I was interested in her feelings, her journey, her insecurities, and her voice, in the sense that she didn’t really have one.” Monroe tragically died at 36 years old following a barbiturate overdose.
Here’s more on Blonde:
From director Andrew Dominik, and based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the complicated life of icon Marilyn Monroe. Blurring the lines of fact and fiction, the film artfully explores the tension between her public and private life.
Blonde hits Netflix on September 28.
