United Kingdom, Dec. 7 -- Ana de Armas still feels she has to "prove [herself]" as an actress despite her Oscar nomination.

The 37-year-old star became the first Cuban actress nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the 2022 biographical drama Blonde. Yet she admits some people dismissed the achievement as a "fluke."

Speaking with director Andrew Dominik at the Red Sea Film Festival this week, she told Variety:

"I get it. A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe is very strange. A week of preparation on my own, and my accent was a disaster. Long story short, we managed to convince the producers that I was the right choice. Andrew [Dominik] had been casting that movie for 10 years, and he wouldn't d...