On paper, a brunette Cuban actress might sound like an odd casting choice for the role of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, one of Netflix’s most anticipated new movies (which hits select theaters this weekend, and debuts on Netflix later this month). The simple fact of the matter, though, is that when it comes to Ana de Armas — stay with us here, because this is a kind of Hollywood-insidery take that might be a little hard to follow — she is a scene-stealing, heart-breaking, impossible-to-dislike performer who is apparently bound by nothing.
Her next-level talent extends to fight scenes, playing romantic figures, and even working past her Spanish accent to portray an iconic American sex symbol in Blonde. That’s the streamer’s forthcoming adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ historical fiction novel about Marilyn Monroe.
Ana de Armas movies to watch on Netflix
By most accounts from viewers and critics who’ve been able to check out Blonde early, this has all the makings of a career-defining piece of work for the actress. We’ll talk more about Blonde below — but, in the meantime, here are a few other Ana de Armas gems to check out on Netflix while you wait for it to arrive.
From Netflix originals like Blonde and Sergio to third-party blockbusters available to stream on Netflix like Blade Runner 2049, these are some of the titles you should absolutely check out if you’re a fan of Ana de Armas.
The Gray Man
We’ll start with her newest title available on the platform. She’s a key part of the cast in the Russo Brothers’ expensive spy flick The Gray Man, in which Ana plays ass-kicking CIA agent Dani Miranda.
Plot-wise, she’s very much a side character in this film that pits Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans against each other as, respectively, an elite CIA operative and a psychopath who works for the agency off the books. Critics who disliked the movie gave low marks to the leads and to an overall too-slick feel pervading this adaptation of writer Mark Greaney’s spy novel series of the same name.
However, Ana “remove yourself from my personal space” de Armas was a joy to watch. Moreover, her performance will get viewers stoked to see her in her upcoming John Wick spinoff. Promising Young Woman’s Emerald Fennell is working on that script, so it should be quite a knockout.
READ MORE: 6 new Netflix movies and series start streaming today – including one wild true crime series
Blonde (Streaming release date: September 28)
Ana’s performance as Marilyn Monroe in this forthcoming Netflix original movie already looks to be one to remember. The trailer has already been viewed more than 9 million times on YouTube. No doubt from audiences who have been left slack-jawed at her uncannily accurate metamorphosis into the late starlet.
“Blonde boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe,” Netflix says. “From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, Blonde blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves. Written and directed by Andrew Dominik, the film boasts a cast led by Ana de Armas and featuring Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel, and Evan Williams.”
Check out the official trailer for Blonde that Netflix released on July 28. A film that, if you ask us, clearly already has Oscar contention written all over it.
Blade Runner 2049 + more with Ana de Armas
If those weren’t enough, we’ve also got four more titles for Ana de Armas fans to check out on Netflix. They include an Iraq war drama, as well as a sequel to a sci-fi classic.
Sergio
“Passions, ideals, and bitter realities collide as charismatic UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello becomes trapped in a life-threatening situation in Iraq,” reads the Netflix summary for this 2020 original from the streamer. Ana plays the diplomat’s wife Carolina.
War Dogs
In this satire of the Iraq war from Todd Phillips, Ana plays “Iz,” the girlfriend of arms dealer David Packouz (portrayed here by Miles Teller). What’s more, she’s something of a moral center of the film — as evidenced by the way she reveals what her husband really does for work. From Netflix’s Tudum site: “It’s an early high-profile English-language performance for the Cuban-born actor, and she’s a hypnotic presence, difficult to look away from.”
Wasp Network
Ana has a smaller part in this 2020 film about Cuban spies in the US during the 90s. But, again coincidentally, she plays the wife of Wagner Moura’s Juan Pablo Roque. (We say “coincidentally,” because she and Wagner were both love interests in Sergio.)
Blade Runner 2049
And finally, last but by no means least, we have Ana’s work in Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. As in The Gray Man, de Armas stars opposite Gosling, this time as a holographic companion called Joi.
