‘Blonde’: Adrien Brody On Playing Arthur Miller In “Brave” & “Terrifying” Marilyn Monroe Story
deadline.comAdrien Brody, who features as playwright and one-time Marilyn Monroe spouse Arthur Miller in Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, says elements of the story adapted from Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 bestselling fictionalized novel, are “terrifying” but hopefully lead to a feeling of empathy for the woman behind the cultural icon.
Blonde is a reimagined retelling of Monroe’s life that explores the split between her public and private selves. The Netflix movie was warmly greeted at its Venice Film Festival premiere but has polarized critics. RELATED: Venice Review: Ana De Armas As Marilyn Monroe In Andrew Dominik’s ‘Blonde’ Brody, with whom I caught up on the Lido, said what Blonde portrays of what Monroe endured is “terrifying,” and called it “really brave storytelling. … I think it’s important in a lot of ways because although it is harsh to experience, sometimes that brings greater understanding, and I think there’s a lot of positivity in that. … I don’t think there’s been a universal sense of empathy for [Monroe].
There’s been a lot of love and adulation, but I don’t think it’s empathetic.” The film, Brody said, “is really about a woman whose childhood traumas and all of these ongoing hardships have affected her life and her choices, both personally and professionally, and how she has to endure that.
And her mental health, right? — which is completely untreated and not addressed and very sad.” RELATED: ‘Blonde’ Premiere Photo Gallery: Ana de Armas Channels Marilyn Monroe At Venice Film Festival Playing Miller was “a very interesting challenge,” said Brody. “It’s a very rich and complex role.” In the film, the pair, who were married from 1956-61, meet during an audition for one of Miller’s plays as Monroe (Ana de Armas) surprises him
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