Blonde

Blonde 

Plan B Entertainment

Netflix

Release dates

September 16, 2022

September 28, 2022 (Netflix)

Directed by

Andrew Dominik

Screenplay by

Andrew Dominik

Based on

Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

Produced by

Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tracey Landon and Scott Robertson

Starring

Ana de Armas as Norma Jeane Mortenson / Marilyn Monroe

Lily Fisher as young Norma Jeane Mortenson

Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller / The Playwright

Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio / Ex-Athlete

Xavier Samuel as Charles "Cass" Chaplin Jr.

Julianne Nicholson as Gladys Pearl Baker

Caspar Phillipson as John F. Kennedy / The President

Toby Huss as Allan "Whitey" Snyder

Sara Paxton as Miss Flynn

David Warshofsky as Darryl F. Zanuck

Evan Williams as Edward G. Robinson Jr.

Michael Masini as Tony Curtis

Rebecca Wisocky as Yvet

Ned Bellamy as Doc Fell

Eric Matheny as Joseph Cotten

Catherine Dent as Jean

Haley Webb as Brooke

Patrick Brennan as Joe

Cinematography

Chayse Irvin

Edited by

Adam Robinson

Music by

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis

Ana de Armas discusses 'Blonde'

"Andrew’s ambitions were very clear from the start — to present a version of Marilyn Monroe’s life through her lens.  He wanted the world to experience what it actually felt like to not only be Marilyn, but also Norma Jeane. I found that to be the most daring, unapologetic, and feminist take on her story that I had ever seen. 

Our movie is not linear or conventional; it is meant to be a sensorial and emotional experience.  The film moves along with her feelings and her experiences. There are moments when we are inside of her body and mind, and this will give the audience an opportunity to experience what it was like to be Norma and Marilyn at the same time."

Andrew Dominik discusses 'Blonde'

"She’s deeply traumatized, and that trauma necessitates a split between a public self and a private self, which is the story of everyone, but with a famous person, that often plays out publicly, in ways that may cause additional trauma. The film’s very much concerned with the relationship with herself and with this other persona, Marilyn, which is both her armor and the thing that is threatening to consume her.

 I was really lucky to have Ana because she could just do anything. She was so good. She would get there so quickly. Her feelings were just so under her skin, and anything I said to her, she really understood. The scenes would always just come to life because Ana was there.

The film is sincere. It’s made with love. It’s made with good intentions. But it’s full of rage at the same time.  I seem to get myself in these situations where people regard me as provocative, but it’s never what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to say it as clearly as I can. My ambition is to make you fall in love with Marilyn."

Julianne Nicholson discusses Marilyn Monroe and Monroe’s troubled mother Gladys 

“I had posters of her in my bedroom and pictures in my locker and a cassette of her singing.  She was so beautiful. And I was struck by that idea of someone having two such different lives, her public self, and her private self.  And also being so misunderstood felt so sad to me and interesting.”

“Gladys was a pivotal person in Marilyn/Norma Jeane’s story and the scenes I had were juicy and exciting.  Gladys was basically at the end of being able to hold it together. She’d tried for so long and she couldn’t do it anymore. And the heartbreak around this man that she’s been pining for — if he doesn’t show up, then she has nothing.”

Bobby Cannavale discusses the Ex-Athlete/Joe DiMaggio in Blonde

"He’s a passionate guy who can’t really find a way to express himself properly."

“I, of course, read the Oates novel and other books about the Ex-Athlete.”  

Ana de Armas discusses what appealed to her about doing Blonde?

"I was looking for a dramatic role to show more of my range as an actress. I certainly didn’t think it would be playing Marilyn Monroe, but this is very different from any other movie or story about her than you’ve ever seen.

What I loved about the script, and what Andrew was setting out to do, was to create an emotional experience. It’s not a biopic, but it is emotionally real. Andrew understood the trauma she experienced in her childhood and how that impacted her life. I saw in her someone who, as famous as she was, was also very vulnerable…and I connected to that vulnerability."

Adrien Brody discusses The Playwright/Arthur Miller with Marilyn in Blonde

"I believe that Marilyn felt a sense of security with him. She looked up to him and deeply wanted to be appreciated more for her intellect and commitment to her craft. He was such a celebrated playwright and she was attracted to his intellect and that level of respect. Ultimately there were too many burdens and differences to overcome. Marilyn’s growing struggle with prescription drugs was likely also a factor in destabilizing her home and professional life."

Evan Williams who plays Edward G. Robinson Jr. discusses Marilyn Monroe and Blonde

“What interested me about Marilyn Monroe is that she was a construct.  Marilyn Monroe didn’t exist, so it is the perfect subject matter to write a fictional biography about because no one really knew what was going on inside Norma Jeane Baker’s head.

The novel — and now the film — is deft in the way that it traverses the public and the private worlds.”

For me, Blonde investigates the fact that we all want and need love and we all thrive when we have it. What do people do when they are starved of it and to what lengths will they go to get it? It’s also an uncompromising look at the way Hollywood creates its stories and uses people.”

Xavier Samuel who plays Charles "Cass" Chaplin Jr., the son of silent film icon Charlie Chaplin discusses Blonde

“In a way, Blonde is an opportunity to use Marilyn’s life as a springboard to explore larger themes and discuss toxic relationships and family.”