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Forget Dakota Johnson — the actress looked every bit the blonde bombshell as she transformed into Marilyn Monroe.
A new set photo offered fans a first glimpse at Johnson’s striking new role in “Flesh Impact.” The short film, written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.
The shocking transformation is just one piece of Gyllenhaal’s fresh take on the Hollywood legend.
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Dakota Johnson transforms into Marilyn Monroe in the first-look image from Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film, “Flesh Impact,” which premieres at the Venice Film Festival in September. (Courtesy of Genesis)
Maggie Gyllenhaal initially worried that Johnson didn’t look enough like Marilyn Monroe for the role. (Matt Winkelmeyer/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Instead of a traditional biopic, “Flesh Impact” imagines Monroe beyond the platinum hair and red lipstick, exploring the woman behind one of pop culture’s most enduring personas.
Gyllenhaal first worried Johnson didn’t look enough like Marilyn Monroe to play the part.
“Then I thought, ‘That’s ridiculous. Who cares?’” she told Vanity Fair. “I don’t know that anyone even really totally knows what Marilyn looks like because she’s been so commodified and made into this myth, and she’s very blurry in my mind.”
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Ellen Burstyn portrays a fictionalized older version of Marilyn Monroe in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “Flesh Impact,” a short film reimagining the Hollywood icon beyond her public persona. (Courtesy of Genesis)
For “Flesh Impact,” Johnson portrayed Marilyn Monroe at age 36, the age at which the Hollywood icon died in 1962, while Ellen Burstyn played a fictionalized older version of the blonde bombshell.
Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn plays a fictionalized older version of Marilyn Monroe in the 17-minute short film which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
The 17-minute short film aims to explore Monroe beyond her enduring public image. Rather than being a traditional biopic, the film blends reality and imagination to examine her identity, legacy and the experience of being an actress in honor of her 100th birthday.
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American film actress Marilyn Monroe is shown in a portrait photograph circa 1954. (Baron/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
“I’ve always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe,” Gyllenhaal said in a press release. “So, when Genesis first came to me with the idea of a celebratory project for her centennial, I knew I wanted to work together on bringing this story to life.
“With ‘Flesh Impact,’ we showcase the timeless icon we know and love through a modern lens that reclaims her story,” she added.
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