Ana de Armas has revealed that she and the crew of the upcoming movie Blonde visited Marilyn Monroe's grave to "ask for "permission.
The 34-year-old actress - who portrays the late Hollywood icon in Andrew Dominik’s NC-17 portrait for Netflix - has disclosed that she visited Monroe’s grave to ask for "permission" to play her onscreen.
During an interview for AnOther magazine, the Cuban star shared why she and the crew felt compelled to leave a message at Monroe’s grave.
"We got this big card, and everyone in the crew wrote a message to her," De Armas revealed. "Then we went to the cemetery and put it on her grave. We were asking for permission in a way."
Monroe - who was born Norma Jeane Mortenson - is buried at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery following her drug overdose in 1962 at the age of 36.
The Knives Out actress said that everyone "felt a huge responsibility" on "the side of the story we were going to tell" of the person behind the character.
Previously, De Armas shared at a press conference alongside her co-stars that she had felt Monroe's spirit while filming, saying: "She was happy but she would also throw things off the walls at times and get mad when she didn't like something."
"Being in the same places that she was, filming in her house, it just felt there was a very strong sensation, there was something in the air," she said, per Digital Spy.
"I think she was approving of what we were doing, maybe this sounds very mystical or something but I think it's true, we all felt it," De Armas said, with the director agreeing with his star actress, adding: "It definitely took on elements of being like a seance."
The movie - adapted from the 2000 novel of the same name by Joyce Carol Oates and shot in black and white - is a fictionalized take on the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes actress' tumultuous rise to fame and tragic end.
It starts with Monroe's childhood and then shows how she went from an ordinary girl to the most sought-after celebrity in the world.
The film also stars Adrien Brody as Arthur Miller - Monroe's third husband - and Bobby Cannavale as Joe DiMaggio - Monroe's second husband.
Blonde premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 8 and began a limited release in theaters on September 16.
It is also scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 23.