From Cuba to Hollywood Action Star: Ana de Armas’ Unlikely Journey and Her Unbreakable Bond with Keanu Reeves
Ana de Armas’ rise to stardom is a testament to sheer determination and unexpected twists of fate. In a candid conversation at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, the actress opened up about her remarkable journey, from her humble beginnings in Cuba to becoming a global action sensation—a path she never saw coming. But here’s where it gets fascinating: her accidental leap into action roles and her enduring friendship with Keanu Reeves, which has become a cornerstone of her Hollywood experience.
De Armas revealed that her bond with Reeves began over a decade ago when she first arrived in Los Angeles, barely speaking English, to film Knock Knock with Eli Roth. “It was a frustrating time, not being able to fully express myself,” she admitted. “But Keanu was incredibly kind and generous—one of the first people to make me feel welcome in Hollywood.” Their friendship blossomed, and reuniting with him for Ballerina, the John Wick spinoff, felt like coming full circle. “Having him there, supporting me ten years later, meant everything,” she shared.
And this is the part most people miss: De Armas never envisioned herself as an action star. “I didn’t think of myself as athletic or even capable of doing action movies,” she confessed. Yet, after No Time to Die, The Gray Man, and Ghosted, Ballerina pushed her to new heights. “It was challenging, demanding, but also exhilarating,” she said. “Expanding that universe was incredibly rewarding.”
The physical transformation for Ballerina was no small feat. “The training was brutal—months of preparation and on-set adaptation,” she recalled. “It was exhausting, but I loved every minute. I learned so much about what I’m capable of.”
De Armas’ journey began in Cuba, where she performed with neighborhood friends, dreaming of becoming an actress. “There was no Plan B,” she stated firmly. Her screen debut came while still a student at theater school in Havana, a move that required her to take a year off. “Being on set taught me more than any classroom,” she reflected.
At 18, she made a bold move to Madrid with just 300 euros—a fortune in Cuba but a drop in the ocean in Spain. She slept on a friend’s couch until landing a role in a hit TV series, which catapulted her to fame but also typecast her. “I was playing the same young-girl roles for years,” she said. Frustrated, she relocated to Los Angeles, starting from scratch. “No one knew who I was, and my work didn’t exist there,” she recalled. “But I was determined to make it work.”
Her breakthrough came with Blade Runner 2049, working alongside Denis Villeneuve, Ryan Gosling, and Harrison Ford. “It was a dream,” she gushed. “Denis is one of my favorite directors—thoughtful, sensitive, and collaborative. I felt like a kid on set again.”
No Time to Die changed everything. “Those fifteen minutes on screen transformed my life,” she said. When director Cary Fukunaga called about a Cuban agent role, she declared, “If there’s a Cuban agent in a Bond film, it’s going to be me.” Her portrayal of Paloma, infused with remnants of her Marilyn Monroe voice from Blonde, added a unique layer to the character.
Speaking of Blonde, her portrayal of Monroe earned her an Oscar nomination and redefined her approach to acting. “It was terrifying but beautiful,” she said. “Andrew Dominik pushed me to places I didn’t know I could go. Nine months of research and preparation changed me as an actress.”
But here’s the controversial part: Despite her success, De Armas is wary of being typecast again, this time as an action star. “Sometimes the industry offers roles I’m not interested in,” she admitted. “I’ve always chased what I want, not waited for what’s offered. I’m not here to play it safe.”
Her journey raises a thought-provoking question: In an industry that loves to pigeonhole, how do actors like De Armas continue to break free and redefine themselves? Share your thoughts in the comments—do you think she’ll succeed in avoiding typecasting, or is it an inevitable part of Hollywood stardom? The Red Sea Film Festival continues until December 13, but the conversation around De Armas’ career is just getting started.
