Ana de Armas addresses the NC-17 rating for her upcoming Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde. Based on Joyce Carol Oates' fictionalized biography of the same name, Blonde suffered a lengthy development process after first being announced in 2010. Now slated to release on Netflix later this year, Blonde sees de Armas take on the role of the iconic 1950s and '60s actor and singer, with Andrew Dominik serving as writer and director. In addition to de Armas, Blonde also stars Adrien Brody, Sara Paxton, Garget Dillahunt, Bobby Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson, and Lucy DeVito.
Dominik has previously discussed the film's unflinching approach to certain elements of Monroe's life, calling Blonde "demanding." Earlier this year, the film was officially rated NC-17 for "some sexual material," with the rating signifying that no person under 17 is allowed to watch the film. This rating differs from the much more common R rating, which means persons under the age of 17 can watch the film, but only if accompanied by an adult. After a recent trailer for Blonde teased some of what's to come in de Armas' latest venture, with clips suggesting the film will be a dark and unwavering depiction of Monroe's rise to fame and subsequent struggles, the actress has addressed the film's NC-17 rating.
In a new interview with L'Officiel, de Armas reveals that the rating isn't as big of a deal as many are making it out to be, saying that there are plenty of movies and series that are far more sexually explicit than Blonde. That being said, the actor also explains that it was important for them to "go to uncomfortable places" when telling Monroe's story in order to fully understand how her life turned out the way it did and that everyone in the cast was fully on board. Check out de Armas' full comment below:
“I didn’t understand why that happened. 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.”
While the specific reasoning behind why Blonde received an NC-17 rating instead of an R-rating remains unclear, the film is expected to feature at least one depiction of sexual assault. The scene in question was also featured in Oates' book, with Monroe attending her first movie audition where she is then raped by the film's producer, identified only as Mr. Z. While the veracity of such an event has been called into question, with at least one of Monroe's biographers suggesting it never took place, it's clear that Dominik and de Armas, like Oates, are attempting to explore the star's life in their own unique, fictionalized way.
Even if many specific events in the film may be fictional, de Armas' comment suggests that Blonde is still attempting to uncover truths about Monroe, her state of mind, and her eventual death. After all, while Monroe's encounter with Mr. Z may not have happened, it's still well-known that Monroe did experience other forms of sexual violence in her lifetime. With Blonde due out at the beginning of September, fans don't have much longer to wait to see de Armas' portrayal of the iconic star and judge for themselves whether the film is deserving of an NC-17 rating.
Source: L'Officiel
