The trailer for Andrew Dominik's Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has barely been out a week, and already the movie is provoking vicious backlash online.
Starring Ana de Armas as the Hollywood icon, the Netflix film is based heavily on Joyce Carol Oates' novel of the same name, which boosts the conspiracy theory that Marilyn was murdered by former US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Although Cuban actor de Armas (who only learned English in 2015) reportedly spent a whole year working on the bombshell's American accent, many viewers are not impressed by what they've seen in the trailer so far.
People have taken to Twitter to blast de Armas' accent, claiming she sounds too Cuban and that they'll be distracted by it while watching the movie.
"Ana De Armas accent is way too thick to be playing Marilyn my god," one viewer wrote, while another agreed: "I love Ana De Armas but why cast her as Marilyn Monroe with that thick a** Cuban accent."
"Ana de armas accent comes through so much for me it’s off-putting. A bit disappointed as it looks good besides that," another complained.
"She may look like her but her Ana de Armas accent is breaking the Marilyn illusion," chimed in another Twitter commenter.
However, others weren't so quick to attack the Knives Out star for her performance. Many rushed to her defense, pointing out that American actors were rarely criticized for their terrible foreign accents.
"Let me remind those commenting on ana de armas' accent playing marilyn monroe that we have a long history of american actors botching accents of other nationalities in film and you don't blink twice. you'll survive," one person tweeted.
Another joked: "Ana de Armas' terrible American accent in 'BLONDE' is payback for Al Pacino’s terrible Cuban accent in 'Scarface.'"
Meanwhile, one of those who jumped to defend de Armas was none other than the Marilyn Monroe Estate. Despite not being involved in the movie directly, the president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group (which owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate) gave a glowing review of the performance.
"Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history," president Marc Rosen said per Variety.
"Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill," he continued. "Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability. We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!"
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