Ana de Armas has spoken out against Netflix's decision to give her upcoming Marilyn Monroe drama Blonde an NC-17 rating.
“I didn’t understand why that happened," she told L'Officiel. "I can tell you a number of shows or movies that are way more explicit with a lot more sexual content than Blonde. But to tell this story it is important to show all these moments in Marilyn’s life that made her end up the way that she did. It needed to be explained. Everyone [in the cast] knew we had to go to uncomfortable places. I wasn’t the only one.”
Director Andrew Dominik expressed the same sentiment earlier this year saying, "It’s a demanding movie. If the audience doesn’t like it, that’s the fucking audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office. It’s an NC-17 movie about Marilyn Monroe, it’s kind of what you want, right? I want to go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story.”
The thing is: it's not a biopic, and we don't know how many of these moments actually occurred in Marilyn Monroe's life. Blonde is based on the Joyce Carol Oates novel of the same name that provides a fictionalized account of the icon's life – and includes a scene of graphic sexual assault. Many have assumed that the NC-17 rating was due in part to the inclusion of this scene in the film, which may be what de Armas is referring to when she says "uncomfortable places." Though the sexual assault has been regarded as fiction, others say that scene is important as it highlights the mistreatment and abuse of young women that takes place in Hollywood.
Blonde is set to hit Netflix on September 28. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2022 and beyond.
