Platinum blonde, a short waved bob in Old Hollywood style, pink lips, and the unmistakable mole above the lip. That is how Dakota Johnson appears in the first official image of Flesh Impact, the short film in which she will step into Marilyn Monroe’s skin and which is already generating anticipation for its original concept.
Far from a traditional biopic, the film written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal aims to imagine an alternative story for Hollywood’s icon: what her life would have looked like if she had the chance to age and continue building her career.
The Stunning Look Change of Dakota Johnson to Play Marilyn Monroe
Used to her characteristic brown hair and fringe, Dakota Johnson appears completely different in the first image of Flesh Impact. To bring Marilyn Monroe to life at the height of her fame, she left behind her usual look and adopted a blonde, wavy bob inspired by the glamour of classic Hollywood.
The transformation is completed with makeup that immediately evokes the actress: pink lips, well-defined lashes, and the iconic mole above the upper lip, one of Monroe’s most recognizable features.
Although Johnson had already experimented with lighter hair tones in recent months, this stands as one of the most significant physical changes of her recent career.
What Flesh Impact Is About
With a running time of just 17 minutes, Flesh Impact offers a fresh angle on Marilyn Monroe. Instead of reconstructing the events of her life, it imagines a future that never existed: how the actress would have been if she had lived to 60.
Maggie Gyllenhaal herself explained the origin of the idea:
“I have always been fascinated by Marilyn’s performances. They are strange, wild, very joyful and, at the same time, deeply moving. I wondered what would have happened if she had 60 years to herself. What would be different in the work she would do now?“
According to the official presentation, the short seeks to pay homage to one of cinema’s most influential figures from a contemporary perspective that recovers her history.
Two Marilyn Monroes in One Movie
One of the project’s most striking aspects is that Marilyn will be portrayed by two actresses.
Dakota Johnson embodies Monroe during the peak of her career, while Ellen Burstyn portrays an imagined version of the actress at a life stage she never reached.
The cast also includes Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.
When the Film Will Be Released
Flesh Impact will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival 2026, as part of the centenary celebrations of Marilyn Monroe’s birth.
For now, the production has no confirmed release date for general audiences.
More than a biographical recreation, Flesh Impact imagines the life Marilyn Monroe could never have lived. And Dakota Johnson’s striking transformation already hints at one of the most talked-about performances at the upcoming Venice Film Festival.
