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Ana de Armas: The Cuban Taking on Marilyn Monroe

Ana de Armas takes on the role of Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde' Tiziana FABI AFP
Ana de Armas takes on the role of Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde' Tiziana FABI AFP
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Ana de Armas: The Cuban Taking on Marilyn Monroe

Ana de Armas takes on the role of Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde' Tiziana FABI AFP
Ana de Armas takes on the role of Marilyn Monroe in 'Blonde' Tiziana FABI AFP

Ana de Armas's journey from Cuban migrant to starring as Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde", which gets its world premiere in Venice on Thursday, is the stuff of American Dream cliches.

Born in Cuba in 1988, Armas came to the United States in her twenties with barely a word of English, only to become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood.

Her distinctive look and ass-kicking turns in James Bond film "No Time to Die" and Netflix blockbuster "The Gray Man" have made her a front-page fixture, AFP said.

But "Blonde" is set to test her real acting chops.

Adapted from the semi-fictional biography by Joyce Carol Oates, it delves deep into the childhood trauma, sexual assault and exploitation that lay behind the icon's seductive, sexualized image.

"I'm a Cuban actress. In what world could I have imagined that this was going to happen? Never," Armas told the Los Angeles Times of landing the role.

- 'Glamour, vulnerability' -
Armas was not an obvious choice, with grumblings online about her slight Cuban accent when the trailer was released this summer.

Monroe's estate, though not involved in the film, has supported her performance, however, saying Armas "captures Marilyn's glamour, humanity and vulnerability".

Armas spent nine months with a vocal coach trying to nail the unique intonation of the iconic actress.

Brad Pitt, who served as a producer on the film, told Entertainment Tonight: "It was 10 years in the making. It wasn't until we found Ana that we could get it across the finish line.

"She is phenomenal in it," Pitt added. "That's a tough dress to fill."

- From Cuba to LA -
Armas spent her childhood and adolescence in Cuba.

She entered theatre school at 14, starred in her first film two years later, and left to pursue a career in Madrid at 18, quickly landing a high-profile role in the TV show "El Internado".

When she took the plunge and headed for Hollywood in 2006, she needed four months of intensive language classes to pick up English.

After a string of minor roles, her big break came with a part in 2017's sci-fi sequel "Blade Runner 2049", alongside Ryan Gosling.

But it was her performance in murder mystery "Knives Out" starring Daniel Craig that elevated her to leading lady status, earning her a Golden Globe nomination.

That led to work with A-list director Olivier Assayas ("The Wasp Network"), and her brief but scene-stealing role in "No Time to Die".

A relationship with Ben Affleck -- her co-star in the erotic thriller "Deep Water" -- also ensured plenty of tabloid attention.

But "Blonde" is another dimension of star-making vehicle.

Its director, Australian Andrew Dominik, is known for brutal but poetic biopics "Chopper" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" -- the latter earning Pitt a Best Actor award in Venice in 2007.

It has been a long wait for "Blonde", which was reportedly finished in 2019 and delayed amid a stand-off between Dominik and Netflix over its lengthy running time and traumatic scenes.

Asked about his star's accent, Dominik told the Los Angeles Times: "I had concerns, until I saw her act, then I forgot what I was supposed to be concerned about."

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Entertainment

Over 80 Berlin Film Festival Alumni Sign Open Letter Urging Organizers to Take Stance on Gaza 

12 February 2026, Berlin: President of the Berlinale jury Wim Wenders waves to the audience on the opening night of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, before the premiere of the opening film "No Good Men" at the Berlinale Palast. (dpa)
12 February 2026, Berlin: President of the Berlinale jury Wim Wenders waves to the audience on the opening night of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, before the premiere of the opening film "No Good Men" at the Berlinale Palast. (dpa)
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Over 80 Berlin Film Festival Alumni Sign Open Letter Urging Organizers to Take Stance on Gaza 

12 February 2026, Berlin: President of the Berlinale jury Wim Wenders waves to the audience on the opening night of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, before the premiere of the opening film "No Good Men" at the Berlinale Palast. (dpa)
12 February 2026, Berlin: President of the Berlinale jury Wim Wenders waves to the audience on the opening night of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, before the premiere of the opening film "No Good Men" at the Berlinale Palast. (dpa)

More than 80 actors, directors and other ‌artists who have taken part in the Berlin Film Festival, including Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, signed an open letter to the organizers published on Tuesday calling for them to take a clear stance on Israel's war in Gaza.

"We call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel's genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Palestinians," said the open letter, which was published in full in entertainment industry magazine Variety.

Multiple human rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say Israel's assault on Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel.

"We are appalled by Berlinale's institutional silence," ‌said the letter, which ‌was also signed by actors Adam McKay, Alia Shawkat and ‌Brian ⁠Cox, and director ⁠Mike Leigh.

It said organizers had not met demands to issue a statement affirming Palestinians' right to life and committing to uphold artists' right to speak out on the issue.

"This is the least it can - and should - do," the letter said.

The festival did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

THE MOST POLITICAL FESTIVAL

The Berlin Film Festival is considered the most political of its peers, Venice and Cannes, and ⁠prides itself on showing cinema from under-represented communities and young ‌talent. However, it has been repeatedly criticized by pro-Palestinian activists ‌for not taking a stand on Gaza, in contrast to the war in Ukraine ‌and the situation in Iran.

Calls have also previously been made for the ‌entertainment industry to take a stance on Gaza.

Last year, over 5,000 actors, entertainers, and producers, including some Hollywood stars, signed a pledge to not work with Israeli film institutions that they saw as being complicit in the abuse of Palestinians by Israel.

Paramount studio later condemned that ‌pledge and said it did not agree with such efforts.

ROY PULLS OUT

Tuesday's letter also condemned statements by this year's ⁠jury president, German director ⁠Wim Wenders, that filmmakers should stay out of politics, writing: "You cannot separate one from the other."

Wenders' comments prompted Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, winner of the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel "The God of Small Things", to pull out of the festival earlier this week.

Roy, who had been due to present "In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones", a 1989 film which she wrote, in the Berlinale's Classics section, characterized Wenders' comments as "unconscionable."

In response, festival director Tricia Tuttle issued a note on Saturday defending artists' decision not to comment on political issues.

"People have called for free speech at the Berlinale. Free speech is happening at the Berlinale," she said.

"But increasingly, filmmakers are expected to answer any question put to them," she wrote, and are criticized if they do not answer, or answer "and we do not like what they say."

Entertainment

‘Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ Actor Robert Duvall Dead at 95 

Actor Robert Duvall arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. (Reuters)
Actor Robert Duvall arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. (Reuters)
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‘Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’ Actor Robert Duvall Dead at 95 

Actor Robert Duvall arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. (Reuters)
Actor Robert Duvall arrives at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California January 11, 2015. (Reuters)

Robert Duvall, who played the smooth mafia lawyer in "The Godfather" and stole the show with his depiction of a surfing-crazed colonel in "Apocalypse Now," has died at the age of 95, his wife said Monday.

His death Sunday was confirmed by his wife Luciana Duvall.

"Yesterday we said goodbye to my beloved husband, cherished friend, and one of the greatest actors of our time. Bob passed away peacefully at home," she wrote.

Blunt-talking, prolific and glitz-averse, Duvall won an Oscar for best actor and was nominated six other times. Over his six decades-long career, he shone in both lead and supporting roles, and eventually became a director. He kept acting in his 90s.

"To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything," Luciana Duvall said. "His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court."

Duvall won his Academy Award in 1983 for playing a washed-up country singer in "Tender Mercies."

But his most memorable characters also included the soft-spoken, loyal mob consigliere Tom Hagen in the first two installments of "The Godfather" and the maniacal Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam War epic "Apocalypse Now."

"It was an honor to have worked with Robert Duvall," Oscar winner Al Pacino, who acted alongside Duvall in "The Godfather" films, said in a statement.

"He was a born actor as they say, his connection with it, his understanding and his phenomenal gift will always be remembered. I will miss him."

As Colonel Kilgore, Duvall earned an Oscar nomination and became a bona fide star after years playing lesser roles, in a performance where he utters what is now one of cinema's most famous lines.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning," his war-loving character -- bare chested, cocky and sporting a big black cowboy hat -- muses as low-flying US warplanes bomb a beachfront tree line where he wants to go surfing.

That character was originally created to be even more over the top -- his name was at first supposed to be Colonel Carnage -- but Duvall had it toned down, demonstrating his meticulous approach to acting.

"I did my homework," Duvall told veteran talk show host Larry King in 2015. "I did my research."

Cinema giant Francis Ford Coppola -- who directed Duvall in "Apocalypse Now" and "The Godfather" -- called his loss "a blow."

"Such a great actor and such an essential part of American Zoetrope from its beginning," Coppola said in a statement on Instagram.

- A 'vast career' -

Duvall was sort of a late bloomer in Hollywood -- he was already 31 when he delivered his breakout performance as the mysterious recluse Boo Radley in the 1962 film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."

He would go on to play myriad roles -- a bullying corporate executive in "Network" (1976), a Marine officer who treats his family like soldiers in "The Great Santini" (1979), and then his star turn in "Tender Mercies."

Duvall often said his favorite role, however, was one he played in a 1989 TV mini-series -- the grizzled, wise-cracking Texas Ranger-turned-cowboy Augustus McCrae in "Lonesome Dove," based on the novel by Larry McMurtry.

British actress Jane Seymour, who worked with Duvall on the 1995 film "The Stars Fell on Henrietta," took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to the star.

"We were able to share in his love of barbecue and even a little tango," Seymour captioned a photo of herself with Duvall. "Those moments off camera were just as memorable as the work itself."

US actor Alec Baldwin made a short video tribute to Duvall, speaking about the star's "vast career."

"When he did 'To Kill A Mockingbird' he just destroyed you with his performance of Boo Radley, he used not a single word of dialogue, not a single word, and he just shatters you," Baldwin said.

Film critic Elaine Mancini once described Duvall as "the most technically proficient, the most versatile, and the most convincing actor on the screen in the United States."

Entertainment

Songwriter Billy Steinberg Dies at 75

Grammy-winning songwriter Billy Steinberg (L) was behind several top hits of the 1980s and 1990s including Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. Paul A. Hebert / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Grammy-winning songwriter Billy Steinberg (L) was behind several top hits of the 1980s and 1990s including Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. Paul A. Hebert / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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Songwriter Billy Steinberg Dies at 75

Grammy-winning songwriter Billy Steinberg (L) was behind several top hits of the 1980s and 1990s including Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. Paul A. Hebert / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Grammy-winning songwriter Billy Steinberg (L) was behind several top hits of the 1980s and 1990s including Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'. Paul A. Hebert / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Award-winning US songwriter Billy Steinberg, who wrote several top hit songs including Madonna's "Like a Virgin," died Monday at age 75, according to media reports.

Steinberg wrote some of the biggest pop hits of the 1980s and 1990s and was behind songs performed by singers from Whitney Houston and Celine Dion to Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.

He died following a battle with cancer, his attorney told the Los Angeles Times and BBC News.

"Billy Steinberg's life was a testament to the enduring power of a well-written song -- and to the idea that honesty, when set to music, can outlive us all," his family said in a statement to the outlets.

Steinberg was born in 1950 and grew up in Palm Springs, California, where his family had a table grape business. He attended Bard College in New York and soon began his career in songwriting.

He helped write five number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Among those was "Like a Virgin," co-written with Tom Kelly, which spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the charts.

Steinberg won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his work on Celine Dion's "Falling Into You."

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.