Does Ana de Armas Sing in 'Blonde'?
Netflix's Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde landed on the streamer last Friday, bringing Ana de Armas' performance as the '50s starlet from movie theaters to the small screen. While the film has divided critics and viewers on its fictionalization of Monroe's private life and history of abuse, the No Time to Die actress's performance has been lauded as a soulful transformation into the Some Like It Hot star.
While promoting the film, de Armas and Blonde director Andrew Dominik have opened up about the Cuban-born star's transformation into Monroe, which involved years of vocal training. Many viewers are also wondering whether de Armas also provides the singing voice for scenes where Monroe performs her iconic renditions of songs including "I Wanna Be Loved by You" and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
The singing voice for Blonde's version of Monroe is actually credited to Vanessa Lemonides, a voice actress, singer, and stage actress who previously worked on animated films including Robots and Ice Age: Continental Drift, as well as the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
For Monroe's speaking voice, de Armas worked with a vocal coach prior to Blonde's production, even developing the accent during her off-hours while filming Knives Out.
"It was about observing her facial expressions, her mouth, the roundedness of her lips, how she showed her lower teeth, and why the ‘o’s were like that," the star said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "Someone’s voice is more than just a specific accent. It says so much more about a person."
She added that the more important task beyond the accent was understanding the woman behind Monroe's on-screen performances.
"To me, it was more important to understand where she was at emotionally every time, with every line, what was she thinking, what was she feeling, more than anything else," she said. "That was my goal, to understand."
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