When it comes to movies, NC-17 is typically regarded as the kiss of death. The rating significantly reduces the number of people who can see a film. When a studio learns that one of their films is on its way to an NC-17 rating, they immediately try to edit the film back to a R to boost its box office take. It’s simply a wise business decision.
Is an NC-17 rating, however, all that bad in the world of digital media? I guess we’ll find out when Blonde arrives on Netflix, as the film has the infamous rating. If you’re perplexed as to why Blonde received an NC-17 rating, you’re not alone; the film’s star, Ana De Armas, is as well.
In a recent interview, De Armas discussed how her new Marilyn Monroe film is tame in comparison to other films with incredibly graphic sexuality scenes that did not receive an NC-17 rating.
“I didn’t understand why that happened,” de Armas said of the film’s NC-17 rating. “I can think of a few shows or movies that are far more explicit and contain far more sexual content than ‘Blonde.’ However, in order to tell this story, it is necessary to depict all of the events in Marilyn’s life that led to her decision. It was necessary to explain. Everyone [in the cast] knew we had to go to some unsettling places. I wasn’t alone in this.”
