Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana De Armas ‘will offend everyone,’ says director Andrew Dominik

The NC-17-rated biopic of Marilyn Monroe starring Ana de Armas has “something that offends everyone,” said the film’s Australian director Andrew Dominik.

The 54-year-old New Zealand native in an interview with Vulture on Wednesday said he was surprised the upcoming Netflix movie was given an NC-17 rating, which does not allow anyone under the age of 18 to see it in theaters under any circumstances.

“On the one hand, I think given the choice, I’d rather go see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story. Because we know her life was on the line, clearly, because of the way she ended up. Do you want to see the version with warts and everything or do you want to see that sanitized version?’ Dominik said.

Upcoming biopic: The NC-17-rated biopic of Marilyn Monroe starring Ana de Armas, screened last September in London, has “something that offends everyone,” said the film’s Australian director Andrew Dominik.

Blonde, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates, has been a long-time project for Dominik with filming scheduled to begin in January 2011.

Dominik said that it was an “interesting time” for the release of Blonde.

“If it had come out a few years ago, it would have come out right when Me Too hit and it would have been an expression of all of that. We’re at a time now, I think, where people really aren’t sure where the lines are,’ she said.

“It’s a movie that definitely has a morality about it. But swim in very ambiguous waters because I don’t think it’s as simple as people want to see it. There is something in this that offends everyone,” added Dominik.

Longtime Project: Blonde, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates about Marilyn Monroe (shown in a 1953 promo for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), has been a longtime project for Dominik with filming scheduled to start in January. 2011

Australian director: Blond director Dominik, introduced in September 2016 in Italy, was born in New Zealand and has lived in Australia since he was two years old.

Jessica Chastain, 45, was in talks in 2014 to play Monroe.

The 34-year-old Cuban actress de Armas at the end of 2019 was cast in the lead role.

Dominik warmed up to the actress while answering a question about his casting of Australian actor and comedian Eric Bana, 53, to play notorious Australian criminal Mark ‘Chopper’ Read in his 2000 biopic Chopper.

Lead role: Cuban actress de Armas, presented in January 2020 at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, California, was cast in late 2019 for the lead role of Blonde.

‘He could do Mark. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Mark ‘Chopper’ Read, the real guy? It’s amazing how close Eric is to that guy. His own father thought that in some parts of Chopper, he was actually Mark. Usually the problem with most movies is that they are miscast. Not in most movies, but it can happen,’ Dominik said.

‘It’s the same problem with Blonde. You have to choose someone you buy like Marilyn Monroe. She’s amazing, that girl. You have no idea, man. You have no idea how good Ana is. She’s as good as James Gandolfini,’ she declared.

Blonde is scheduled to premiere in September on Netflix and will be the streaming service’s first original film to earn an NC-17 rating.

Hollywood Icon: Monroe was shown in March 1962 at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills