These Photos of Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe in ‘Blonde’ Prove the Film Paid Attention to Detail
Marilyn Monroe played many roles: an actress, a singer, a comedian, a model, a starlet, a public figure as well as a sex symbol and, for better or for worse, an image. Many have tried to evoke Marilyn's style or portray her in films and television, but the figure of Marilyn Monroe is so recognizable in pop culture that it's almost like a logo. The new, already hotly talked about film Blonde stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe and attempts to get underneath that icon status. To do so, Blonde recreated many, many famous Marilyn Monroe films and photographed moments. There's already been some chatter online about whether or not de Armas even attempted to sound like Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, but it's hard to deny that she looks like Marilyn Monroe, and I have photographic evidence to prove it.
Marilyn Monroe with Arthur Miller (the Playwright)
This image, of Marilyn and Arthur Miller (played by Adrien Brody in Blonde and billed simply as "the Playwright"), is a direct homage to a photo shoot that photographer Sam Shaw did at their home in the Hamptons in 1957. In the images, Marilyn is smiling and barefoot and very natural looking, from the wildflowers she's holding to the way her hair isn't done up in perfect pincurls. To see where the film drew inspiration for many of its looks and quieter moments, you must look into Shaw's portraits of Marilyn.
Marilyn doing her makeup
The film, in this scene, shows Marilyn putting on a face in more ways than one. It's reminiscent of other autobiographical films like I, Tonya and Rocketman, where the film's subject has gone from distressed to artificially happy and "on" in an instant. There are are more images from Shaw's collection that show Marilyn putting on makeup in an introspective fashion, but this similar-ish image taken backstage at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway seems a bit lighter.
Marilyn attend the premiere of There's No Business Like Show Business
The movie absolutely nailed the dress. Marilyn often wore a boa like this to premieres. Should we bring that back??
Marilyn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" has a life of its own as a song, but between de Armas performing it in Blonde and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn doing her own spin on it in Birds of Prey... this pink dress look might be one of my favorite underrated Marilyn looks. Everyone always goes for the white dress, but why not pink?
Marilyn in Some Like It Hot
Another underrated Marilyn performance, even though the film itself is regarded as one of the best comedies of all time, is Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot. She's so ridiculously funny in this movie. The scene that de Armas is performing in this image is another song-and-dance number.
Marilyn in Niagara
Another great pink dress...
Marilyn at the beach in a sweater
This is the last professional photo shoot of Marilyn before she died. George Barris was the photographer.
Marilyn in pants
While Monroe was most known fashion-wise for the dresses she wore in movies and at events, at home she was more likely to be wearing capri pants.
Marilyn crying while driving
They really got every detail right here, down to the turtleneck. While it's not showcased in this image, there are other instances in Blonde where de Armas as Marilyn cries just like this with her palms covering her whole face.
Marilyn films THAT scene from The Seven-Year Itch
I mean, this one is actually spooky how similar the two are—but hey! It's an iconic image, one of the most iconic images in film and pop culture of all time. Giving any less than 150 percent commitment is unacceptable.
Marilyn filming Something's Gotta Give
This is the last dress that Marilyn wore in her last (and ultimately unfinished) movie, then called Something's Gotta Give, before her death. It was sold at an auction in 2015.
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