"Blonde" Director Reveals Ana de Armas' Most Difficult Moments On Set As Marilyn Monroe

When Blonde premiered in Venice, the audience delivered a 14-minute standing ovation, which was fitting considering the fact that the director Andrew Dominik spent the last 14 years making this film a reality. It was based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, and although it wasn't a complete truth of Marilyn's life, it offered the audience a look into the abuse, trauma, and loneliness she experienced while being one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. Ana de Armas opened up about the work that it took to bring this movie to life.

"Blonde" Director Reveals Ana de Armas' Most Difficult Moments on Set As Marilyn Monroe

He didn't star in the film, but Brad Pitt was a producer that made the whole thing possible. In an interview with Hollywood Authentic, Ana praised him for the hard work he put in, saying the project wouldn't have been done without him and they "owe a lot to Brad Pitt."

"Andrew claims Brad worked harder as producer on this movie than on any of the films they’d made together that he’d starred in, and the stories I heard back that up," she said. "He was always in meetings, he always had Andrew’s back, he really pushed for the film, always trying to get people to give us more money. He did exactly what a producer should do."

In the photos of the premiere in Venice, Brad is seen walking down the red carpet and in the audience only a few seats away from Ana, beaming and clapping enthusiastically. Andrew worked closely with Brad to make the movie a possibility and spoke about the difficult process it took to find the right Marilyn.

"For Marilyn, you need an actor who, when they’re on screen, the viewer doesn’t care about anything else," he explained. "They must be like the sun around which everything else revolves. And it’s a tall order to find a person who has that magnetism and charisma and who also happens to look like Marilyn Monroe. Not just a look-a-like, but someone you could believe as her and understand what the fuss has been about over the decades."

He first saw Ana in Knock Knock, her debut Hollywood film that she worked on across from Keanu Reeves. Andrew said "it was an instant thing" and he just knew that she was the right person to play Marilyn. He says Ana has "a kind of emotional forcefield that radiates from her," and that's what draws people to her.

He referred to a scene in which Marilyn is seeing her mother for the first time in 10 years. This was only the second day of shooting so they were "still finding their feet on set." Ana is supposed to walk abruptly into the room and burst into tears, which is not an easy task for an actor, especially when everyone is brand new to the set.

"So, it’s the first take and she comes in and it’s just unbelievable," Andrew said. "She just explodes with emotion, and I just wasn’t expecting that intensity. Not on the second day of the film. I couldn’t believe it – it was more than I could have hoped for."

"But then it turns out the camera operator blew the shot. And I’m like, sorry Ana, you know, we have got to do it again. So, like the pro she is, she says, OK, and she goes back and she does a second take. And it’s really good," he continued. "However, it’s not as good as the first time. But before I can even say that to her, before I can even get those words out of my mouth, she’s already saying: I want another one."

Andrew describes this as a "really, really high-pressure situation because of that unusable first take." Most actors would crack under the pressure or get frustrated that the first take was ruined. There was a lot of tension in the room. Ana goes somewhere that nobody can see her and she gathers herself. She's out of the room for roughly 60 seconds, which felt like an eternity.

"She stands in the doorway, and she just stares the whole room down. Then she walks back to her mark. And then it’s another 60 long seconds and that tension is at absolute fever pitch," he said. "And then she goes, and she does the take which is in the final film, and it’s so moving that when I was watching, a teardrop rolled down my face and hit the monitor. And that’s what I mean about making the space. She’s not going to let anybody else get in the way."

Andrew praised Ana for being such a wonderful artist to work with, calling her an "industry veteran" even though she's quite young. "She’s also got the instinctive feel for where the weaknesses are in a script or on a shoot and where the strengths are. She’s just a real pro," he added.