Few movie dramas in recent years have generated as much fevered online speculation as Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde.

‘Blonde’ Premiere Photo Gallery: Ana de Armas Channels Marilyn Monroe At Venice Film Festival.

What was it about Marilyn Monroe and Joyce Carol Oates’ novel that intrigued you.

I had always wanted to do a story about childhood trauma and how that shapes an adult’s perception of the world; to make a film from within a person’s mythology?

DEADLINE: To what extent would you say your film is biographical of Marilyn Monroe.

Through that I got interested in Marilyn Monroe.

I know an awful lot about Marilyn Monroe now.

I’ve read all that stuff, and I’ve met people that knew her and I’ve been to most of the places (that you can still get into) where she lived.

I’ve read all the biographies of all the other people that were in her life too so I’m aware of what they think happened in most of the situations in her life.

DEADLINE: To what extent do you think your Marilyn is an agent of her own destiny? Some who knew the real Marilyn said she was a lot together than is often portrayed.

Director John Huston said of her: “People say Hollywood broke her heart, but that is rubbish – she was observant and tough-minded … in certain ways, she was very shrewd.” In your film, Marilyn is buffeted to a great extent by many men; she seems to lack agency….

I think for that to happen it’s always got to feel like it’s happening to her, otherwise you are asking her to accept responsibility and this film is not asking her to accept any responsibility.

So, it’s true the film isn’t overly concerned with that stuff.

I’m aware, for example, that in real life Marilyn Monroe was one of the people that broke the studio stranglehold over players under contract.

So, like anyone, she would make these stabs towards being in control of her life, but she clearly wasn’t in control of her life.

As much as we want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as the female du jour, I don’t think that that’s responsible.

You know, the film is very concerned with the type of acting that was fashionable at the time: things like using personal memories and experiences to help inhabit characters and how psychoanalysis cross-pollinates with acting to become method acting.

We did talk about stuff like that when we were going through scenes, but when she’s acting it’s purely a work of imagination.

A movie like this functions more like a piece of music.

DEADLINE: With that in mind was there ever a thought that this movie might end up not being a Netflix movie.

But in the end, they completely supported what I wanted to do, to the point where I had actually signed a piece of paper saying I would deliver an R-rated movie.

I think everybody realized that the NC-17 rating would hurt the film.

It’s the only film that I’ve made where I’ve not had to make concessions.

DEADLINE: Was there anything that you wanted to include that you couldn’t for legal or financial reasons.

DEADLINE: The movie is visually stunning and not small.

DEADLINE: I assume that like most directors you wanted more…?

People like to work in L.A., to go home and sleep in their beds.

DEADLINE: When did you know you wanted to make something formally irregular in terms of the color, aspect ratio, camera angles, etc..

I wanted to traffic in the collective memory of Marilyn Monroe.

It’s a movie about the unconscious and how we don’t see reality but project our own fears and desires outwardly.

That was something Netflix wanted and they also wanted to get a female perspective on the film because it was me and Adam [Robinson] cutting the movie.

DEADLINE: Did you ever think the movie might not see the light of day.

DOMINIK: I didn’t think anyone who saw the movie would give a sh*t about that?

DEADLINE: So you think Ana took it on the chin.

DEADLINE: I barely thought about it during the movie.

There’s a movie I’d like to make, but it’s always about raising the money

DEADLINE: What would that movie be about

DOMINIK: I’ve love to make a film about the Afghan war