Ana de Armas played the fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s psychological biopic, Blonde. The film received praise for de Armas’ performance and the visuals, while the screenplay polarized critics. Interestingly, de Armas had to sit through two and a half hours on the makeup chair to transform into the leading lady during each shoot day.
The film shifted between color and black and white, which significantly impacted how the makeup was applied to de Armas. The Ballerina actress’ efforts were recognized with nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Award. Meanwhile, the film received Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay.
Ana de Armas’ Makeup For Blonde Took 2.5 Hours Each Day
It took some heavy lifting on the parts of Ana de Armas and the hair and makeup department to bring Marilyn Monroe to the screen in Blonde. While de Armas played the behavioral characteristics of Monroe to perfection, it was over to Tina Roesler Kerwin in the makeup department and Jaime Leigh McIntosh in the hair department to make her look the best.
There were a lot of experiments involved, with Kerwin explaining their mandate to Variety. She shared that they did not put Monroe’s hair and makeup on de Armas, but they wanted to find their own version of the character in the actress. Kerwin explained that they tried “to define our Marilyn and define her as best as we could.”
It was definitely not an easy process as de Armas had to sit still on a chair for 2.5 hours during the process. The actress had natural dark and thick hair, which needed to be changed to blonde. They used a silicone cap to completely cover the hair. The makeup team created over 100 looks for the character and about 50 to 60 made it into the final cut.
The Knives Out actress wore blue contact lenses and false eyelashes to perfect the eye shape of Monroe. For capturing the iconic The Seven Year Itch scene, her wig had to be curled a bit tighter and pinned in places to cheat the shape. Kerwin also added that since Andrew Dominik shot in both color and black and white, she tried every color in her kit to see what would work in both shots.
Kerwin also highlighted the importance of contouring, which helped in conveying the age of the actress. She shared, “When she’s younger, her face looks rounder, and when she’s older, she has that classic look.” Moreover, to recreate Monroe’s flashy red lip in the film, Kerwin blended fuchsia with red. A timelapse reel showing de Armas’ drastic transformation will show you her 2.5-hour-long process.
Ana de Armas’ Response To The Criticisms Against Blonde
Even Ana de Armas was surprised that a Cuban actress was roped in to play the role of Marilyn Monroe. However, the casting criticism faded as people had other pressing issues about the film. Andrew Dominik based his script on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel of the same name, which had many fictional elements about the darker and violent parts of Monroe’s life.
Critics bashed some of these depictions in the film, including scenes of s*xual assault and graphic violence against the actress. De Armas shared with THR that Blonde was not a movie made to please people. She shared that it was a hard movie to watch. She shared with THR:
As hard as it is to hear when people don’t like your film, it is what it is. It was not a movie that was made to please people or to make people like it. It is a hard movie to watch.
De Armas clarified that the film did not portray Marilyn Monroe in a bad light. She shared that the film highlighted the bad parts of the environment and the industry in which she worked. De Armas shared that it was a hard pill to swallow for people in the business.
Blonde is now available for streaming on Netflix.
