Marilyn Monroe estate issues statement after Netflix’s Blonde accused of ‘exploiting’ Hollywood icon

Fans have criticised Spanish-Cuban actor De Armas’ accent as heard in a trailer released last month

Marilyn Monroe’s estate has defended Ana De Armas’s casting as the Hollywood icon in Netflix’s forthcoming Blonde.

Fan reactions to the trailer for the film – released on 28 July – were critical, with many complaining about Spanish-Cuban actor De Armas’s accent in the scenes shown.

“Am I the only one not surprised that Ana De Armas sounds bad in the Blonde trailer?” one person wrote. “Her accent is very heavy, it was going to take a lot for her to convincingly sound like Marilyn.”

Another person wrote: “I think Ana De Armas is a fantastic actress and looks great as Marilyn BUT I still hear her accent in the Blonde trailer and it’s taking her out of character for me.”

In a statement to Variety, Monroe’s estate has come out in support of De Armas’s casting, noting that “any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill”.

Marc Rosen, president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, which owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate, told the publication: “Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history.

“Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability,” Rosen continued, adding, “We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!”

De Armas has previously said it took her nine months to learn how to speak like Monroe, calling the process a “big torture” and “so exhausting”.

On whether she nailed the voice, De Armas told The Sunday Times: “I tried! It only took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practising, and some ADR sessions [rerecording dialogue after filming]. It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried.”

Blonde is scheduled to be released on 28 September 2022 by Netflix.