The Grueling 9-Month Process That Perfected Ana de Armas’s Marilyn Monroe Voice—’It Was Torture!’
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
When Ana de Armas signed on to portray Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, she knew she was stepping into the shoes of a Hollywood icon whose voice was as legendary as her image. What she didn’t anticipate, however, was the grueling nine-month process it would take to master Monroe’s signature breathy tone. “It only took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing, and some ADR sessions,” de Armas said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried.”
A Transformative Challenge
De Armas, a Cuban-Spanish actress known for Knives Out and No Time to Die, faced the unique challenge of transforming her natural accent into Monroe’s soft, rounded, and distinctly American speech. To do so, she worked tirelessly with vocal coaches, spending hours each day in sessions designed to replicate not only Monroe’s cadence but also the emotional subtleties behind her words. The process was further complicated by the fact that de Armas was simultaneously working on other projects, including Knives Out, where she would wrap long shooting days only to dive into hours of voice training.
“I would finish my day on set, then spend another three hours in coaching,” she told The LA Times. “It was absolutely draining.” Even after the on-set work was done, de Armas returned for ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) sessions to fine-tune her performance. This post-production step allowed her to revisit key scenes and perfect every vocal nuance.
Capturing More Than an Accent
Though de Armas’s performance earned her an Academy Award nomination—the first ever for a Cuban actress—it also sparked a wave of public and critical debate. Some early trailers revealed traces of her Spanish accent, leading to discussions about authenticity. Yet Monroe’s estate quickly came to her defense, noting that she “captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability.”
De Armas herself was candid about her approach, explaining in an interview with L’Officiel: “My job wasn’t to imitate her. I wanted to capture her essence, her soul.” Her voice work, then, was not just about mimicry. It was about conveying the complex blend of fragility and charisma that defined Monroe. She studied Monroe’s physicality, her lip movements, even how she rounded her vowels—taking a holistic approach that blended technical precision with deep emotional understanding.
A Career-Defining Performance
Blonde debuted on Netflix in September 2022, drawing polarized reviews for its dark, fictionalized take on Monroe’s life. However, de Armas’s performance was widely praised as a standout, earning her both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. For de Armas, the long months of voice training, and the toll it took on her, ultimately paid off. She not only brought Monroe’s voice to life but also brought new depth to a woman whose own voice often struggled to be heard in her lifetime.
Legacy and Dedication
Today, de Armas’s commitment to embodying Monroe stands as a testament to her dedication as an actor. While Blonde may have been controversial, de Armas’s process—one of persistence, study, and relentless effort—has been universally admired. The nine months she spent perfecting Monroe’s voice were grueling, but they also set the stage for a performance that is already considered one of the most transformative of her career.
