Ana de Armas’ Sparkling Silver Gown at the Oscars Was an Unintentional Nod to Marilyn Monroe

She might not have planned it—or even intended it—but Ana de Armas managed a subtle nod to the woman responsible, in part, for her Best Lead Actress nomination at tonight’s Academy Awards. In a sparkling scoop-neck gown with a bodice dipped in petals, de Armas brought to mind Marilyn Monroe’s infamous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress—the same one Kim Kardashian wore to last year’s Met Gala.

De Armas, nominated for her role as Monroe in the controversial Blonde, didn’t see the resemblance herself. “I just feel like, you know, this is like little drops of rain and flower[s],” she told Laverne Cox on the Oscars red carpet. “Little mermaid.”

Despite Blonde’s less-than-favorable critical reception, de Armas was one of the film’s relative redeeming qualities: She earned frequent praise for her commitment to Monroe’s accent and mannerisms, and her willingness to tackle difficult, even downright brutal material in director Andrew Dominik’s fictionalized biopic.

In an August 2022 cover story with ELLE, de Armas said she’s excited to be “paving the way” for Latina actresses like herself, but that “I don’t want to put a basket of fruit on my head every single time ... That’s my hope, that I can show that we can do anything if we’re given the time to prepare, and if we’re given just the chance, just the chance. You can do any film—Blonde—you can do anything. The problem is that sometimes you don’t even get to the room with the director to sit down and prove yourself.”