Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Celebrity
Jake Massey
Netflix has dropped the trailer for new Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde - and the accent of Ana de Armas has quickly become a talking point.
The Cuban plays the Hollywood icon in the film, which is based on Joyce Carol Oates' bestselling novel of the same name.
The 34-year-old previously said that she spent months learning how to nail the accent, but a lot of people aren't convinced by it.
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Following the trailer's release yesterday (Thursday 28 July), viewers shared their reactions on social media, with many commenting on her accent.
One person tweeted: "They rly made that whole ass Marilyn Monroe movie and didn’t hire Ana De Armas an accent coach."
Another wrote: "It looks good with no sound on. but ana de armas accent comes through so much for me it’s off putting. a bit disappointed as it looks good besides that."
A third added: "i know the movie hasn’t come out yet but Blonde starring Ana de Armas looks stunning and the scenes gives me chills but i know y’all still hear her accent.. like it’s STRONG.
"i am very surprised they thought she sounded like marilyn because she literally doesn’t. looks? yes"
Others leapt to the actor's defence however, arguing the accent shouldn't be considered a big issue.
One such person tweeted: "Everyone seems fixated on ana de armas’ accent in BLONDE but i think that only makes the film more interesting; it emphasizes the inherent artifice in biopics (and in acting overall), which imo is appropriate in a work seemingly dedicated to exploring artifice versus reality."
Another agreed: "Well, I, for one, think Ana de Armas looks amazing as Marilyn Monroe. I couldn't give two shits about her Cuban accent. A great performance does not necessarily require Meryl Streep-level accent recreation and people have been too spoiled on that of late."
While another added: "Any more complaints about Ana de Armas' accent and I'll break your kneecaps.
"Bunch of a**holes with no interest on any other country or language and expecting the whole world to adjust perfectly to them."
Asked whether she'd managed to master Monroe's accent in an interview with The Times last year, de Armas said: "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."
Whether or not you think she nailed it, the film never billed itself as a completely factual account.
The synopsis reads: "Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood's most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe.
"From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves."
Blonde will drop on Netflix on 28 September.