Get to Know Ana De Armas! – Who is the Blonde Actress?

Ana de Armas, the Cuban-Spanish actress, is one of the rising stars of Hollywood who you may know as the Bond girl in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021). The talented 34-year-old caught her big break with her Blade Runner 2049 (2017) performance, where her character was a holographic Al projection. And after Knives Out (2019), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, Armas was now one of the most in-demand actors in the industry.

Armas played in the Netflix hit The Gray Man (2022) alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. However, she has been the subject of controversy for her depiction of Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming Blonde movie, scheduled to be released on Netflix on September 28, 2022. The backlash against the actress started when the official trailer for the film was released, and everyone started to criticize her accent. Most people argued that Armas’ Cuban accent was apparent and that she did not sound like Monroe.

Despite these criticisms, the Hollywood star Brad Pitt and the Marilyn Monroe Estate defended the actress. Here is everything we know about the Blonde movie and the backlash against the actress.

Why is Ana de Armas playing Marilyn Monroe?

Why is Ana de Armas playing Marilyn Monroe?

“Why is Ana de Armas playing Marilyn Monroe?” is a good question considering the movie’s lead actress was changed 2 times. The film’s history goes back to 2010 when the film’s director and screenwriter Andrew Dominik announced that he had been developing the Blonde movie. In May 2010, the film’s lead star was announced as Naomi Watts, a 2-times Oscar-nominated actress, and the filming was supposed to start in 2011, but it didn’t.

Later, Brad Pitt, who worked with Dominik in the 2012 movie Killing Them Softly, became interested in the project and became one of the producers. 2 years later, Watts was no longer the lead actress. The role now belonged to Jessica Chastain, who co-starred with Pitt in The Tree of Life (2011). Production was delayed again due to financing, with the director saying he wanted as much as money needed to make the film.

Finally, in 2019, Ana da Armas ended up being in the early negotiations to star in the film. Armas said in an interview that Dominik chose him after a single audition, as it turns out the director was already a fan of the actress due to her role in Knock Knock (2015). According to reports, Armas worked with a dialect coach for a year, and the filming started.

If we have to go back to the controversy, we can say that everything was great when the 1st official photos from the movie were released a few weeks ago. Everyone was surprised how great Armas looked as Monroe. However, the trailer seemed to disappoint most fans who argued that Ana’s Cuban accent was pretty obvious.

However, Brad Pitt came to Armas’ defense, saying that the actress is phenomenal in the movie. The Marilyn Monroe Estate, owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), also defended the actress, saying that she looks great in the trailer and seems to capture Monroe’s glamour, humanity, and vulnerability. Although the trailer does not look promising, we will see if they are right once the entire movie comes out.

Related: Netflix Blonde Trailer Breakdown – What to Expect from Ana de Armas Movie?

How long have Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas been together?

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas

As you may know, Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas had a famous relationship during the pandemic. The pair met on the set of the film Deep Water, which came out in 2020. The dating rumors started around March of the same year, and the couple was seen cozy a few times. The relationship was going great, and Armas even had friendly interactions with Jennifer Garner, Affleck’s ex-wife.

Unfortunately, Armas ended the relationship in January 2021. So, the couple was together for nearly 10 months. Although the actress did not speak much about the relationship, later on, she said she was overwhelmed by the media, which highly publicized and scrutinized their relationship. She was referring to photos of the couple that emerged almost every week walking their dogs during the quarantine. She said the media presence in their life was horrible, and it even made her move away from LA.

Can Ana de Armas speak English?

Ana de Armas

Armas moved to LA in 2014 to start her acting career in Hollywood after acting in Cuba and Spain for years. When she moved to LA, the actress did not know any English. She spent 4 months going to English classes and was able to book her 1st English role in the movie Knock Knock (2015). The actress later said in an interview that in the film, she said her lines phonetically, so she didn’t know what she was saying. But after a few years in Hollywood, the actress is now fluent in English.

Also, read Netflix Blonde Release Date, Trailer – Is it canceled?