Sitting at around 43% on Rotten Tomatoes and dealing with tons of backlash, Blonde is gaining attention for its explicit sex scenes and shocking moments. The film, based on author Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional take of Marilyn Monroe, sees Ana de Armas star as the iconic actress.
Many online are pushing back against the film, calling it nothing but exploitation and even saying it could be harmful to Ana de Armas. The actress has heard the criticisms about her acting or Blonde’s plot, and she’s now pushing against it.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, de Armas says she felt entirely in control of each of those scenes.
“It’s harder for people to watch [those scenes] than for me to make them because I understood what I was doing, and I felt very protected and safe,” de Armas says. “I didn’t feel exploited because I was in control. I made that decision. I knew what the movie I was doing. I trusted my director. I felt like I was in a safe environment. We had hundreds of conversations about these scenes. Everyone felt a deep respect for the movie we were making. And in that sense, I had no fear. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, even though they were really hard scenes.”
De Armas is topless for much of the film while also filming a blowjob scene that shocks viewers. Ana de Armas backs up claims that Andrew Dominik was nothing but respectful on set and that the production made it as comfortable as possible for her.
“We actually did two takes of that scene only,” says de Armas. “We had an intimacy coordinator with us all the time, and she was very helpful. But I wouldn’t even say these scenes were more difficult than any other scene. It was just a part of a whole story. I knew exactly what the shot was going to be. I knew exactly what was going to be seen, what was not going to be seen, and it felt like it was the right thing to do.”
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Blonde here
De Armas puts herself deep into this and isn’t afraid to lay it bare. You can tell she’s determined to give every ounce of herself in her Blonde performance and is striving for something authentic. “That openness goes to everything,” she says. “You’re open not just to give but to receive and be perceptive.”
Based on the bestselling novel by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.
Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, Blonde sees Ana de Armas leading a cast that includes Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Evan Williams.
Blonde is streaming now on Netflix.
