Ana De Armas Cries After Receiving A 14-minute Standing Ovation For Blonde At Venice Film Festival
Winning an award or receiving positive reviews on their performance is one way for an actor or actress to assess their skill and depth in portraying their role. But Ana De Armas received even more—sincere and honest feedback for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe.
Ana, 34, stars in Blonde, and during its world premiere at Venice Film Festival, Ana received a 14-minute standing ovation. Not all celebrities receive this kind of appreciation, and it caused Ana to shed happy tears. Indeed, it was a life-changing moment, given that this was the longest applause for any film at this year’s Festival.
Not only did the audience applaud and appreciate her performance, but the unforgiving critics also gave it positive reviews, clearly impressed by Ana’s flawless depiction of Marilyn Monroe.
Even her co-star Adrien Brody, who played Arthur Miller in the movie, was moved to tears by the warm and loving reception the film received.
Ana played Marilyn/Norma Jeane Baker in this Andrew Dominik adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates. It revolves around the life and tragic death of Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe. This film is a fictitious account of Marilyn’s life.
Brad Pitt is one of the producers of Blonde. Before the movie’s release, there were reservations about Ana’s suitability for the role due to her Spanish heritage. There were concerns about whether she would use her natural accent in the role. The accent turned out to be irrelevant because Ana effortlessly captured the extraordinary psychological precision and genuine intensity of emotions as she transformed into Marilyn. In retrospect, it appears that Ana was the perfect choice for the lead role.
Robbie Collin, Telegraph’s critic, gave the film a four-star review and was impressed not only with how accurately Ana captured Monroe’s physical aspects but also with Ana’s comprehension of the character.
The movie is so engrossing that Collin stated, “Blonde is severe and serious-minded almost to a fault: you wonder how many viewers at home will soldier on to the end when it lands on Netflix after a limited theatrical release.”
Leslie Felperin, on the other hand, gave a more conservative 3-star rating. The Guardian’s critic commented, “The psychological framework is very old-school Hollywood Freudian, which doesn’t give Monroe herself much agency in her story.”
Felperin may be gearing her comments to the storyline, but in terms of Ana’s performance, she praised the actress for her intense and persuasive performance.
Deadline, on the other hand, described Ana more as Dominik’s muse and finds it interestingly astonishing how Marilyn’s story was retold—through the lens of a fictionalized book rather than the usual autobiographical one.
Overall, the film was met with positive and genuine responses. Despite Ana mentioning how exhausted and tired she was during the filming, the final outcome was well worth the effort. And for someone who didn’t grow up knowing Marilyn and her movies and only learned English in 2015, she did incredibly well and truly deserved that 14-minute standing ovation!
