Ana de Armas was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in “Blonde.” In an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”, she spoke about her experience playing Marilyn Monroe and learning the news that she delivered one of the year’s best performances according to the Hollywood Foreign Press.
© GettyImagesWhen speaking about where she was and how she felt when she heard of her Golden Globe nomination, De Armas shared that she was in Prague, filming her upcoming movie. “I was on set. I’m still filming ‘Ballerina,’” she said. The film is a spin-off of the “John Wick” films, featuring performances from Keanu Reeves and herself, and is obviously action heavy.
“My assistant comes with the phone, very straightfaced, and I start reading and then I realize what I’m reading and I scream,” said de Armas. “And of course, it was a stunt scene so everyone got very worried thinking that something was happening. I was like ‘No no, it’s okay.’”
De Armas also talked about playing Marilyn Monroe and how intimidating and challenging it was for herself and the rest of the crew. In order to make the movie as accurate as possible, the set had two monitors: one where the crew could see what they were shooting, and another where original Marilyn Monroe films were playing.
“There was a moment when my hairstylist kept coming back and forth between me and the monitor, to fix my hair. She was, poor thing, doing so many trips, that I would just go with her to the monitors,” she said.
“Blonde” is directed by Andrew Dominik, and it’s been one of the year’s most controversial films. While de Armas’ performance has been critically acclaimed, the film itself has gathered criticism on various fronts.
When speaking about the film and describing it to the audience, de Armas said that the story is less about the icon of Marilyn Monroe and more about the real person we don’t know. “This movie is more about Norma Jean, the woman who is unseen this whole time,” she said. “A take on Marilyn’s life through her lens.”
