Ana De Armas Lauded With Latino Cinema Award for Blonde

As awards season kicks off in Hollywood, Ana De Armas has already started feeling the love for her outstanding performance in Blonde.

On November 13, the Cuban star received the actress award at the Critics Choice Association's celebration of Latino Cinema and Television.

The actress accepted the honor on video, expressing her gratitude to all who participated in the making of the movie, from the directors, producers and fellow actors, to the hair and makeup crew.

"Blonde is the movie I always dreamed of making, and very often in my career I thought I was never going to get the chance to do something like this — and I'm not just talking about playing Marilyn Monroe, which was unthinkable for many," De Armas said in her speech.

Adding, "I'm talking about the opportunity, an opportunity that would really make me feel that I was breaking free from labels, that would allow me to push myself to my limits, [make me feel] that I was doing something groundbreaking that would prove to me and other Latinos that we can do anything if we're given the chance. And that not only I'm changed after the experience but that also things might be changing because of it."

The film, based on the bestseller by Joyce Carol Oates, reimagines the life of Monroe starting from her troubled early childhood to her untimely death in 1962. In the official trailer for Blonde, we see how the lines of fact and fiction are blurred to provide audiences with an inside look at the people behind the characters we worship.

De Armas has gained extensive praise for her portrayal, including a 14-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival and the Deauville American Film Festival's rising star award.

Actor Brad Pitt also sang her praises during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Pitt, who is one of the film's producers, said the actress was "phenomenal in it. That's a tough dress to fill."

"It was 10 years in the making," Pitt admitted of the project. "It wasn't until we found Ana that we could get it across the finish line."

Congratulations, Chica!