Star Adrien Brody is all praise for Ana de Armas' turn as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Written and directed by Chopper helmer Andrew Dominik, Blonde adapts Joyce Carol Oates' eponymous bestselling 2000 historical novel to tell a sensationalized story about the inner life of one of America's most popular and celebrated actress Marilyn Monroe aka Norma Jean Mortenson. Armas is leading the biographical drama as Monroe, while Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Julianne Nicholson, and Caspar Phillipson are enacting the fictionalized versions of Arthur Asher Miller, Joe D., Gladys, and President John F. Kennedy respectively. Blonde is scheduled to be released by Netflix sometime later this year, although work on the movie has been ongoing for quite some time.

As a passion project for Dominik, who is fascinated by the life of Monroe and its impact on both men and women, Blonde has been in development since early 2010. At one point, Naomi Watts was attached to play the lead role in the movie, but when Brad Pitt boarded the project along with Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner as producers, the filmmakers decided to go in a different direction, and instead brought in Jessica Chastain to replace Watts. Still, despite the progress, it wasn't until late 2019 that Blonde began filming with Armas stepping in for Chastain after impressing Dominik with her performance in Knock Knock.

Related: Why Ana De Armas' Next Big Movie Is Already Controversial

Naturally, the anticipation for Blonde is quite high, and with Brody's new comments about Armas' turn in the movie, it has become even harder to wait for the film. In the recent conversation with THR about Adam McKay's upcoming Lakers drama Winning Time, Brody also spoke a bit about his participation in Blonde, as well his response to the film. The star says he saw the rough cut of the movie a while ago, and he was quite impressed to see what Dominik had done with the film. Brody says that Dominik is a "talented soul" while Ana de Armas, in particular, is "outrageously good" as Marilyn Monroe. Brody also added that Armas was absolutely compelling in the role. Read what he said below.

"I saw a rough cut a long time ago, and it is so powerful and great. Andrew Dominik is just so amazing, and god, I’m so grateful to have gotten to work with him. He’s just such a talented soul, really. And Ana de Armas is just outrageously good. She’s so compelling as Marilyn, as Norma Jeane. Just so compelling."

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So far, it's not just Brody who has been bowled over by Armas' stunning Blonde performance. Others who have also watched the cut are also equally in awe of the actress, hailing her for her masterful work. Armas' Knives Out co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, whose father Tony Curtis starred opposite Monroe in Some Like it Hot, said that she "dropped to the floor" when she saw Amras as Monroe. Curtis marveled at how authentically Armas had embodied her role as Monroe in the movie. Apart from Armas's acting, reactions to the movie, in general, have also been encouraging. Oates, on whose work the film is based, called Blonde's rough cut "startling" and "brilliant," praising it for being a genuinely feminist interpretation.

Brody's statements reignite the fervor to witness Armas as the legendary Monroe in Blonde. Even without the praise for Armas, the audience's expectations for Blonde are reasonably high, and there has been a lot of hype around the film for the past several years, mostly due to the various talented faces who were attached to play Monroe. But while the original stars are not associated with the project anymore, things are still looking good for Blonde, with reviews to its rough-cut being overwhelmingly positive and due to a general appreciation for Dominik's directorial skills. Hopefully, the movie will live up to its promises, and win critical acclaim as well as accolades for Armas.

Next: Every Upcoming Ana De Armas Movie

Source: THR