Where You Know The Cast Of Blonde From

Sixty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe (née Norma Jeane Baker) remains one of the most iconic celebrities in the world. Naturally, the September 2022 release of "Blonde," the latest feature based on the beloved star's story, has created some serious buzz. Already a polarizing film, it's both received significant criticism as well as a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, per CNN. Based on Joyce Carol Oates' novel, the film stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe.

"Blonde" focuses on the bombshell's rise to stardom and what led to her death at age 36. In the trailer, we see a scene with an uncomfortable Monroe dodging questions from baseball player Joe DiMaggio, played by Bobby Cannavale. "How did you get your start?" he asks. "What start? she whispers in true Marilyn form. Cut to a shot of what looks like a "casting couch" scenario with Norma Jeane and an older man, then back to DiMaggio's question. "I guess I was discovered," she says.

The film, which is directed by Andrew Dominik ("Killing Them Softly") boasts an impressive cast that includes several acting vets, some familiar favorites, and a few fresh faces you've likely seen before. Here is everything you need to know about the cast of "Blonde."

In "Blonde," Adrien Brody plays playwright Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe's third husband. At 29, the Queens, New York, native won a Best Actor Oscar for 2002's "The Pianist," playing a famous Jewish pianist in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Working on the film, he said there were no stand-ins and he often felt as detached as his real-life character was. "You have to stay on, and there's no moment to escape being immersed in that state of mind," the actor told Pop Matters in 2003. 

Brody's resume also includes playing Salvador Dalí in the time-traveling rom-com "Midnight in Paris" alongside Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson. In 2017, Brody went to the dark side, joining the BBC series "Peaky Blinders" in Season 3 as a Mafia boss. He also had a cameo on "Succession," and took on the role of coach Pat Riley on HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty."

But wait, there's more. Wes Anderson directed him as Dmitri, a son fighting to save his family fortune at all costs, in "The Grand Budapest Hotel." They teamed up again in the 2021 film "The French Dispatch," the story of a group of expatriate journalists in France, alongside Benicio Del Toro and Tilda Swinton. Working with Anderson, Brody told The Guardian, is like trying to interpret a song that's playing inside the director's head. "He hears the music," and as the actor, "you have to be able to hear that music and catch it."

"Blonde" star Ana de Armas has worked with more than her fair share of Hollywood A-listers. She starred alongside Ryan Gosling in the 2017 film "Blade Runner 2049." Recalling her anxiety when she first met the Oscar nominee, de Armas told Fox News, "Oh, hell yes I was nervous." Her breakout role was in "Knives Out," as Marta, an employee for a rich family caught in the middle of a murder mystery. The actor, who grew up in Cuba, almost passed on the role after reading the description, which simply said, "caretaker, Latina, pretty," per Cinema Blend.

De Armas later explained to Elle she doesn't want to be reduced to her heritage. "I do want to play Latina. But I don't want to put a basket of fruit on my head every single time." She reunited with her "Knives Out" co-star Daniel Craig in 2021's "No Time to Die." De Armas co-starred with Chris Evans, also in "Knives Out," and Ryan Gosling in the 2022 Netflix hit "The Gray Man."

As for her latest role playing the iconic blonde bombshell, "The Night Clerk" actor told The Times of London she spent months working with a dialect coach, learning how to sound and speak like Monroe. "I only had to audition for Marilyn once and Andrew said 'It's you,' but I had to audition for everyone else,"' de Armas said in Vanity Fair. "Playing Marilyn was groundbreaking. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly."

Bobby Cannavale plays baseball slugger Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn Monroe's husband of nine months, in 2022's "Blonde." In 2005, the versatile supporting actor won an Emmy for playing Will's boyfriend Vince on "Will & Grace." The New Jersey native joined Edie Falco's Showtime series "Nurse Jackie" in Season 4 as a tough hospital administrator, and earned two Emmy noms for his portrayal. His work on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" also earned him some hardware.

In 2013, while shooting the TV movie "Annie" with Jamie Foxx in New York City, throngs of people mobbed his trailer and he couldn't get out. "They're huge 'Boardwalk Empire' fans uptown!" Cannavale told Broadway Buzz at the time. He also played Irving, a high-level Army operative on "Mr. Robot." 

In a 2021 chat with Collider, Cannavale shared that Melissa McCarthy convinced him to audition for Hulu's "Nine Perfect Strangers," the story of people coming together seeking transformation at a health and wellness resort. He said of the role of Tony, "He was a guy who volunteered to be there, but then spent all of his time really doing everything he could to get out of there." As for the actor's legacy, the Tony nominee told Broadway Buzz he isn't famous for playing any one role. "I see my career as more of a journeyman than anything," he said. "Whatever I did last seems to be what people remember me for. I always feel like if I take six months off, people won't know who the hell I am."

Julianne Nicholson plays Marilyn Monroe's erratic mother, Gladys, in "Blonde." The supporting actor's career in TV and film has been building steadily for more than 20 years. You may remember her as Jenny Shaw on "Ally McBeal," or her stint as Detective Megan Wheeler on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." In 2013's "August: Osage County," Nicholson holds her own co-starring with two Hollywood heavyweights, Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

Speaking to Elle about her character, the Massachusetts native explained, "I felt a little bit like Ivy. She's sort of the watcher in the family.... And I kind of felt like that, stepping into this role with all of these women. Like I just had to watch." The actor played Dr. Lillian Paul on "Masters of Sex," noting, "I don't take my clothes off!" She also appeared as U.S. Assistant Attorney General Esther Randolph on "Boardwalk Empire."

Nicholson won an Emmy for her role as Lori in HBO's 2021 drama series "Mare of Easttown," starring alongside Jean Smart and Kate Winslet, the latter of whom also took home a statuette for her performance. In a 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, Nicholson said she was energized by the positive reaction to the female-centric show, and the current trajectory of her career. "The stories that I've been able to tell just get more and more exciting, and I get to go to deeper and deeper places," she said. "I don't want it to stop and I don't see any reason why it should."

"Blonde" features Caspar Phillipson as "The President," a.k.a. John F. Kennedy. Marilyn Monroe sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to JFK to celebrate his 45th birthday just months before her death. Phillipson played the 35th president before, in the 2016 film "Jackie," which stars Natalie Portman in the titular role. The Danish actor was sought out by producers for his striking resemblance to the American politician. Now, he has the dialect down too.

"The funny thing is, people also have an idea of how he spoke," Phillipson told The Washington Post in 2017. "But mostly what they're remembering is the caricature." The actor has worked extensively in TV and film in his home country. In the States, he played yet another square-jawed celebrity, Robert Redford, in the 2019 TV movie "Gone Hollywood." You might have seen him as Mr. De Hagemann in HBO's "Gentleman Jack" or as The European in "Mission: Impossible – Fallout."

He also starred in the 2017 short film, "The Speech JFK Never Gave." Having played a real-life character multiple times, Phillipson has amassed quite a collection of information about JFK. "My bedside table at home is full of books about Kennedy. Once the bug gets you, you can't stop," he admitted to The Washington Post. In a 2017 interview for Blockbuster, the actor recalled coming to America to film "Jackie." "Arriving in the U.S. and channeling Kennedy was shocking... the emotional hold that he still holds on every American is really really moving."

Garret Dillahunt has played just about every kind of character you can imagine in his decades-long career. He took on two roles, including infamous killer Jack McCall, on HBO's "Deadwood." "I remember being described often as 'the horrifically ugly Jack McCall,' and I kept thinking it took me about 10 seconds to get like that," Dillahunt told Iconic Interview (via HuffPost). The actor appeared in 2007's Best Picture winner "No Country for Old Men," and he starred as a sheriff alongside Jennifer Lawrence in 2010's "Winter's Bone."

On the lighter side, he portrayed a fumbling dad on "Raising Hope," a Fox comedy series about an unusually dysfunctional family. "They're idiosyncratic, but loving," Dillahunt explained. "I think that's how most families are, really. Everyone thinks their family is the craziest family in the world." The California native also played "Dr. K" on "The Mindy Project" and John Dorie on AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead."

The University of Washington graduate originally set out to be a writer. "My degree is in journalism. I don't know that I'm a very good writer, but this is very similar," he told Uproxx in 2010, noting that he often seeks out writers to help his scripts work. In the aforementioned chat with Iconic Interview, Dillahunt said he wants to keep mixing things up. "I think that's what we're supposed to do is play a wide range of characters. I like to try to be as different as I can from one thing to the next."

Xavier Samuel plays "Cass," a nickname for Charles Chaplin Jr. in "Blonde," per Slashfilm. The actor may not have a long list of credits, but he has a few blockbusters already under his belt. The Australian native played the devilish vampire Riley Biers in 2010's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Samuel reportedly beat out both Channing Tatum and "Harry Potter" star Tom Felton for the part, according to MTV News. It was a turning point in his career.

"A lot of the roles I've played in Australia have been kind of introspective boy-next-door things, so it was juicy to get to play a villain who's being manipulated in this bloody Macbeth scenario, ” Samuel told his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard for Interview. The actor appears in the 2011 wedding comedy "A Few Best Men" alongside Rebel Wilson and Olivia Newton-John, and he plays the titular role in "The Death and Life of Otto Bloom."

He appears in the 2013 film "Adore" as Naomi Watts' son, Ian. In TNT's "Tell Me Your Secrets," Samuel plays Kit Parker, a convicted serial killer, per Deadline. You may also remember him from "Elvis," as Scotty Moore, founder of the King of Rock and Roll's backing band. In a 2012 interview with MTV News, Samuels recalled that once in a lifetime audition for "Twilight" that launched his career. "It was like being struck by lighting and was totally surreal!"

Lucy DeVito is the daughter of two TV legends, "Taxi" star Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman from "Cheers." She took on several small roles in her dad's series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." and she had a part in his 2016 film "The Comedian." With a natural affinity for comedy, she played Stephanie on "Melissa & Joey." Lucy took on the role of Anne Greenstein in the 2009 film "Leaves of Grass," and she starred alongside "New Amsterdam" actor Tyler LaBine in his short-lived comedy series "Deadbeat."

Lucy also appeared on HBO's "Girls," the Showtime series "Shameless," and in a recurring role as Irene on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." In 2022, she teamed up with her famous father again in "Little Demon," an animated series for FXX she co-created. After casting herself as a 13-year-old girl who's also the Antichrist, and dad as Satan, Lucy told Today, "this is the part he was meant to play." Speaking to Newsweek, Lucy said the idea of playing a coming-of-age character drew her to the role.

"We're capturing this human at the age of 13, when the world is changing around you, or you are changing and the world is staying the same." Lucy, who also works on stage, is always grateful for her father's advice. "He always told me that when I'm on a set, I should look at everything and talk to everyone," the "Speech and Debate" actor told Newsweek. "He's one of the best role models."

Sarah Paxton takes on the role of Miss Flynn in "Blonde." The former child star played Jesse McCartney's girlfriend in the WB series "Summerland." In the 2006 fantasy rom-com "Aquamarine," Paxton landed her breakout role as a mermaid who befriends Emma Roberts and pop star JoJo. "They wanted me to come in and read for the part of the mean girl. I was like no way, I've got to be the mermaid," she told Pop Entertainment.

The actor is also known for her work in horror movies, including 2009's "The Last House on the Left." In Ti West's "The Innkeepers," Paxton and Luke Healy play the proprietors of a haunted inn. Of teaming up with West, Paxton told Iconvision in 2012, "Honestly, I think that Ti is the best director that I have ever worked with. He really knows what he wants." 

Paxton has guest starred on several primetime series, including "Will & Grace," "CSI: Miami," and "This is Us." She also played Alicia Barnes on TNT's "Murder in the First" and she did a stint as Amber Dooley on "Good Girls." In the 2018 film, "The Front Runner," Paxton portrays Donna Rice, the woman at the center of the sex scandal surrounding Democratic Presidential hopeful Gary Hart. "[It] was the first scandal of its kind and changed the trajectory of politics forever," she said in Schön! Magazine. "I think this film finally gives Donna the voice she never had."

Toby Huss plays Whitey, Marilyn Monroe's longtime makeup artist, in "Blonde." He appeared as Felix "Stumpy" Dreifuss on HBO's "Carnivàle." The actor, who hails from Iowa, is known for playing Texans. He played "J.J. 'Tex' McCready" on "GLOW," and he was Cotton Hill on the animated sitcom "King of the Hill." "The guy's heart was in the right place," Huss told Texas Monthly about his character. " He just didn't know how to articulate any sort of intimacy or tenderness, to his son or any of the people around him whom he loved."

One of his best-known roles, computer engineer John Bosworth on AMC's "Halt and Catch Fire," was also from the Longhorn state. His other credits include Johnny the Hat on "Brockmire," Big Mike on "Reno 911!", "Ghostbusters," and "Halloween." He landed the role of Edward Dickinson, playing Hailee Steinfeld's dad in the Apple TV+ series "Dickinson," with a little help from his "Halloween" director.

Huss told Screen Rant that David Gordon Green, who also directed the "Dickinson" pilot, told him, "You know, you kinda look like the guy, her father." Huss auditioned, and the rest is history. The talented voice artist also brought several characters to life on "Beavis and Butt-Head." "I was always doing people's voices," he said. "We would have friends coming over to the house, and I remember them leaving... And I would wonder about their voice and try to do their voice, even as a kid."

Spencer Garrett plays the "President's pimp" in Netflix's "Blonde." The TV and film veteran has been close to the Oval Office before: He played a White House aide in 1997's "Air Force One." He also appeared in the 2008 film "Public Enemies," which stars Christian Bale and Johnny Depp. You might remember Garrett as investigative journalist Bob Woodward in "The Front Runner," or from 2019's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

He guest starred on a bunch of TV shows, including "Hawaii Five-0," "NCIS: Los Angeles," and "Grey's Anatomy." Garrett had a recurring role as J. Reason Fowkkes on Amazon's crime drama series "Bosch," and he joined Issa Rae as John Merrill on "Insecure." In HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," the avid Lakers fan takes on the role of legendary Lakers announcer Chick Hearn.

"Chick invented a whole language of basketball so that if you couldn't see it on television, he painted a picture with his words, and that's really quite a gift," Garret told Digital Journal in 2022. In a 2017 interview with Trainwreck'd Society, the actor, who is the child and grandchild of actors, shared, "I imagine the acting gene was ingrained in me at birth." After 30 years in the biz, he is having the time of his life. "I feel like I'm just hitting my sweet spot as an actor. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. And I'm not kidding."

Evan Williams plays Eddy in "Blonde." One of his earliest credits was in a TV series called "Instant Star," where he is credited as "Cute Boy." The handsome Canadian starred in a children's series called "Baxter" and he played Kelly Ashoona on "Degrassi: The Next Generation." His most notable role is in the BBC period drama series "Versailles." Williams plays Chevalier, the real-life lover of King Louis XIV's brother in 17th century France.

In a 2017 interview with Hidden Remote, the actor shared his thoughts about the forbidden same-sex romance. "It's just a beautiful, complicated, sometimes devastating, sometimes magical journey between these two people who can't help but be completely, desperately in love with each other." Williams moved on to a very different role in the MTV teen comedy "Awkward." As he told Gay Times, he played "a very square-jawed heterosexual love interest."

Williams stars as Tyler in the 2017 psychological thriller "Escape Room." You also might have caught him on "The Rookie" or "Westworld." And then there's the 2021 TV movie "Christmas Takes Flight," where he teams up with Katie Lowes as a number-crunching CEO who ends up winning her heart. Speaking to My Fanbase following the success of "Versailles," he said, "I'm happy if people are moved by my work, that's thrilling, it's a total joy. I want to change the world with my heart, I believe that's the calling all creative people share, and if anybody is moved by that then they can join."

Rebecca Wisocky plays Yvet in "Blonde." You may not recognize her name, but if you watch primetime TV, chances are you've seen Wisocky in something. She appeared on "Bones," "NCIS," "The Resident," and "The Mentalist," to name a few. She has become known for playing some awful women, including Evelyn Powell, the secretive Beverly Hills socialite on Lifetime's "Devious Maids." "It's especially been fun for me because Evelyn is such a raging b***ch," Wisocky told Channel Guide in 2014. "But people seem to be rooting for her and seeing all of her positive qualities." 

Wisocky played Lorraine Harvey in the first season of the FX series "American Horror Story," appeared in Hulu's "Dopesick" alongside Michael Keaton as FDA official Cynthia McCormick, and in ABC's dark comedy "Ghosts," she stars as Hetty, the woman who built the haunted mansion where the story takes place.

Despite all the juicy parts that have come her way, there is one guest-starring role on "Law & Order" Criminal Intent" in 2005 that people remember most. "I played a hustling drug addict who had her son rob jewelry stores. She was just a terrible person," Wisocky told The Day in 2021, "And I think I only got the role because no one famous wanted to be as downtrodden and unattractive as the role required me to be." The Pennsylvania native noted people still call her out on the street about Dede.

"Blonde" actor Scoot McNairy has played a wide variety of characters throughout his career. From starring alongside Brad Pitt and Ray Liotta in the crime thriller "Killing Them Softly," to playing a shrewd circus worker in "12 Years a Slave," to a major role in Ben Affleck's "Argo," the Texas native has done it all. In the AMC drama series "Halt and Catch Fire," McNair found a role he could really sink his teeth into. "My character, Gordon Clark, had something to prove to the world and to the people around him, and there's always been something inside of me that believes I have something to prove," he explained to Men's Journal.

McNairy, who first teamed up with Affleck in a commercial for Axe body spray, played Joe Stafford in "Argo" and Tommy O'Hara in the Oscar winner's 2014 film "Gone Girl," which stars Rosamund Pike. Of working with Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen on "12 Years a Slave," he said in said in Interview, "That movie really puts you in the world. Steve McQueen put you there on the plantation as a third eye."

His other notable credits include "True Detective" Season 3 and "Narcos: Mexico." As for why he's been successful at his craft, McNairy told Interview, "what makes a really good actor is somebody who's really believable. How you get there is different for everybody."