Ana de Armas explains how Paloma, her character in No Time To Die, was affected by her performance as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. After breakout roles in Blade Runner 2049 and Knives Out, de Armas joined the James Bond franchise with No Time To Die. The film marks the end of Daniel Craig's tenure as 007 following four previous outings as the character, with No Time To Die earning generally positive reviews from both audiences and critics. Although the film was very much about Bond's final mission, de Armas' Paloma stole the show for many fans.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
In an all too brief sojourn to Cuba, Bond makes contact with Paloma, an inexperienced but enthusiastic agent working for the CIA. Within minutes, Bond and Paloma find themselves under attack by Spectre agents and the pair work together to take down scores of bad guys in what marks one of the film's most fun and lighthearted action sequences. Just as quickly as she arrives, however, Paloma and Cuba are left behind as Bond's adventures continue, with many later expressing that de Armas' character was a highlight of the entire film. In a stark departure from the lightheartedness of Paloma, de Armas can next be seen in Blonde, Andrew Dominik's fictionalized account of the life of the late Monroe.
In a new interview with Variety, de Armas explains that she actually filmed Blonde before No Time To Die and that the fast turnaround between projects ultimately led to a bit of overlap between the two characters. After giving months of her life to capturing the essence of Monroe, de Armas reveals that, in hindsight, there are some elements of the starlet in Paloma, such as "her energy and her charm." Check out de Armas' full comment below:
“I couldn’t say goodbye. I couldn’t shake it off. I couldn’t let her go. I went to visit her at her cemetery a few times — I would have liked to go one more time. If you think about Paloma now, I am sure that there is some Marilyn in there. There is! Her energy and her charm and this thing where she was lit from the inside — Paloma stole a little bit of her.”
Although audiences have yet to see de Armas' turn as Monroe, the first trailer for Blonde teases a fairly radical and emotional transformation for the star. De Armas has been open about how all-consuming the role was and, given a turnaround time of fewer than 24 hours between Blonde and No Time To Die, it's no surprise that the actor wasn't able to totally disconnect from a performance she had put so much energy into in the months previous. Evidently, however, her performance as Paloma proved exceedingly popular with audiences and, perhaps, the small touches of Monroe are part of what made the character so captivating.
No Time To Die may have marked a definitive end for Craig's Bond, but some fans are calling for Paloma to return in a James Bond spinoff of some sort. While the connection between Paloma and Monroe may not have been obvious to most No Time To Die viewers, it's possible that rewatching the latest Bond film after the release of Blonde will allow for similarities between the two characters to become more apparent. While early reviews for Blonde have been somewhat mixed, de Armas evidently gave the role her all, and it's possible she'll have to recapture that energy once more if Paloma ever crops up again in the world of Bond following No Time To Die.