Where You've Seen Ana de Armas Before

Where You've Seen Ana de Armas Before

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing where you’ve seen Ana de Armas before.

For this list, we’ll be looking at this Cuban and Spanish actress’ early roles, rise to fame, and projects that lie on the horizon.

What role introduced you to Ana de Armas? Let us know in the comments.

Most aspiring performers grow up surrounded by media. During her upbringing in Cuba, de Armas had little exposure to the entertainment world. Although her home was full of music, her family lacked internet, DVD players, and VCRs. Her screen time was limited to 20 minutes of cartoons, weekend matinees, and watching Hollywood movies at her neighbor’s. De Armas made a habit of memorizing dialogue and reciting it into the mirror. She even recalls repeating the entirety of “Matilda” to her brother. Setting her sights on acting at age 12, she got into Havana’s National Theatre of Cuba two years later. Although de Armas’ teachers wanted her to focus on studying, she leaped at the opportunity to star in the romantic drama “Una rosa de Francia.”

Following roles in the TV movie “El edén perdido” and the sci-fi film “Madrigal,” de Armas departed from Cuba at the age of 18 to become an actress in Madrid. Impressed by her debut role, casting director Luis San Narciso enlisted de Armas for the teen drama thriller “El Internado,” aka “The Boarding School.” While playing student Carolina Leal de Solis, de Armas also found time to star in movies like the coming-of-age dramedy “Sex, Party and Lies.” Leaving the show after six seasons, she continued to get work in TV and film. Following a dry spell, though, de Armas decided that she needed to start fresh in Hollywood. She had already spent a brief period in New York, learning some English.

De Armas still spoke little English upon moving to L.A. in 2014, sometimes not even knowing what she was saying at auditions. The boxing drama “Hands of Stone,” the first Hollywood picture that de Armas shot, required her to primarily speak Spanish. Even after booking an English-speaking role in Eli Roth’s “Knock Knock,” she hadn’t quite gotten the language down. De Armas remained committed, spending four months in full-day classes. She didn’t want to be typecast in “Latin-specific” parts, pursuing roles that everybody wanted. De Armas seemingly landed a breakthrough role in the thriller “Daughter of God,” starring opposite “Knock Knock” co-star Keanu Reeves. Unfortunately, Lionsgate heavily edited the film, minimizing de Armas’ role. The result was a financial and critical flop retitled “Exposed.”

De Armas garnered positive notices for her supporting work in the Todd Phillips comedy “War Dogs,” although the film’s reception was mixed. Finally, de Armas landed the role she had been waiting for, bringing heart to a hologram in “Blade Runner 2049.” De Armas’ Joi may be an A.I., but Ryan Gosling’s K and the audience come to view her as a real person, amounting to a touching yet tragic romance. De Armas was comfortable with the risque scenes that the part entailed, but she had one condition: don’t mess up the hair. De Armas’ performance was met with praise while the film was favorably stacked up against the 1982 classic. Like the original “Blade Runner,” though, not many saw the sequel in theaters.

While “Blade Runner 2049” deserved a bigger audience, the film significantly raised her profile with more great roles on the horizon. She even worked with Oscar winner Danny Boyle in the original rom-com “Yesterday.” The only downside is that her scenes got cut. De Armas played a woman who comes between Himesh Patel’s Jack and Lily James’ Ellie. Although Boyle thought de Armas was “brilliant,” the love triangle didn’t resonate with test audiences. We understand where Boyle was coming from, but de Armas’ fans weren’t pleased, especially since her role had been advertised. Conor Woulfe and Peter Rosza sued Universal for $5 million, having paid $3.99 each to see de Armas. Not a very practical legal battle, but it’s a testament to her fanbase.

If “Yesterday” was false advertising, you could say something similar about “Knives Out.” In this case, though, it worked to de Armas’ advantage. This murder mystery had a stacked cast including Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer, just to name a few. However, outside of Daniel Craig, the ads didn’t emphasize one star in particular. Going in, most audiences didn’t know that de Armas’ Marta would be the leading lady. By the time the credits rolled, de Armas had outshined her a-lister co-stars. She’d receive a Golden Globe nomination for her funny, empathetic, and resilient performance as a nurse at the center of a mystery wrapped in an enigma. After years of mostly supporting roles, the screen belonged to De Armas.

She reteamed with Craig for his final performance as James Bond in “No Time to Die.” While Cuban agent Paloma possessed many of the attributes one would expect from a Bond Girl, de Armas brought a refreshing sense of humor to the role. Although Paloma isn’t as experienced in the field as 007, she still manages to kick ass while rocking an elegant dress. As they did in “Knives Out,” de Armas and Craig have superb chemistry without anything romantic arising. Many wished that Paloma had been given a larger role, but de Armas’ presence is so strong that the character sticks with you long after exiting. Can we get a spinoff already?

2022 has been another busy year for de Armas, especially on the streaming front. In the erotic thriller “Deep Water,” she acted opposite Ben Affleck, with whom she had a brief romantic relationship. De Armas reteamed with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans for the action extravaganza “The Gray Man,” which is poised to become Netflix’s next big franchise. Netflix is also shining the spotlight on de Armas for what might be her boldest role to date: Norma Jeane Mortenson, aka Marilyn Monroe, in an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ biographical fiction novel “Blonde.” The film’s NC-17 rating has become a major talking point, but that’s not only reason why “Blonde” is considered something of a gamble.

In development for nearly a decade, “Blonde” had Naomi Watts and Jessica Chastain attached to play Monroe at different times. Director Andrew Dominik was drawn to de Armas after seeing “Knock Knock,” casting her after one audition. Although many were excited by this casting, some found it jarring that a Cuban native was playing the American blonde bombshell. When the trailer hit, people detected de Armas’ Cuban accent. However, the casting has received endorsements from Monroe’s estate, producer Brad Pitt, and Jamie Lee Curtis, who said, “Ana was completely gone. She was Marilyn.” It’s also been seen as a potential game changer for Hollywood, opening the door for diversity. In many respects, it’s the role de Armas has been seeking since arriving in America.

“I do want to play Latina,” de Armas told People in July 2022. “But I don’t want to put a basket of fruit on my head every single time… So that’s my hope, that I can show that we can do anything if we’re given the time to prepare.” Whether or not “Blonde” brings de Armas into the Oscar nominee club, the casting feels like a substantial step forward, and not just for her own career. De Armas will continue to take big steps with projects like the Apple TV+ film “Ghosted.” She might have been a relative unknown in the States several years ago. Like Marta in “Knives Out,” though, she’s going all the way to the top. Her house, her rules, her coffee.