‘I’m open to it’: Bond actor Ana de Armas teases return

As she picks up the mantle set down by John Wick star Keanu Reeves, actor Ana de Armas explains why she may also not be finished with another famous film franchise.

When Ana de Armas first worked with Keanu Reeves in the 2015 psychological thriller Knock Knock, she was a young Cuban-born actor who had moved to Spain in her teens, found success on television, and was ready to try her luck in Hollywood.

At the time, her broken English meant she had to learn her lines phonetically.

A decade later, de Armas is reuniting with Reeves in From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina.

Concurrent with the events during and after 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the new spin-off sees de Armas as Eve Macarro, a dancer-turned-assassin taking down foes by any means necessary.

“Women are very creative and very imaginative, and if you put them in a situation where they have to fight for their lives, you’ll be surprised what they can come up with,” the actor tells Stellar. “It would be awesome to have more female action leads in the industry.”

Ana de Armas, left, and Keanu Reeves pose for photographers upon arrival at World premiere of the film 'Ballerina' in London. Picture: Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP

Since Knock Knock, de Armas has become one of the most in-demand stars in any type of film, with stand-out performances in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Knives Out (2019), No Time To Die (2021) and Blonde (2022), which earned her an Oscar nomination for her turn as Marilyn Monroe.

But as her star has risen, de Armas says she’s never forgotten the example set by Reeves.

“He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met and very hardworking, takes his work really seriously and he leads by example,” she explains, adding that being in Ballerina with him was a full-circle moment.

“If you just pay attention to his intentions, to his words, to the way he talks to people when he shows up on set and when he leaves set, it’s generosity towards all the other filmmakers involved in every project he does. He doesn’t need to say anything; he does.”

With Daniel Craig in No Time To Die. Picture: Nicola Dove/MGM

For her part, the very private de Armas has also had to handle being in the public spotlight thanks to tabloid coverage of her previous relationship with Ben Affleck and current rumoured links to Tom Cruise.

Even so, she tells Stellar of finding her place in the film business, “I’ve never been afraid. It’s a big industry and it can crush you if you’re not careful. But you have to be focused and have your path clear where you want to go and just do that.”

Although de Armas trained for four months in fighting and weapons techniques to prepare for shooting Ballerina, she says playing stilettos-wearing, CIA-employed Cuban agent Paloma in the James Bond film No Time To Die was good groundwork.

“I thought, If I can do this in high heels, I can do anything,” she says with a laugh.

With the potential expansion of the 007 world after Amazon MGM Studios’ recent purchase of the franchise, would de Armas reprise her role?

“We’ll see what that brings, but I love Paloma,” she says. “She was so fun. I’m open to it.”

Ana de Armas is in Stellar this Sunday.

Ana de Armas has become one of the most in-demand stars in any type of film. Picture: Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP

More recently, de Armas spent some time in Queensland, where she filmed esteemed director Ron Howard’s survival thriller Eden – due for release later this year – with Jude Law, Vanessa Kirby, Richard Roxburgh and Sydney Sweeney.

She has fond memories of the ocean and spending New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks from Sydney Harbour – and not-so-fond memories of some of her unexpected tropical co-stars.

“I remember at random times on set, people just screaming, ‘Snake!’ and everyone running,” de Armas recalls of the Gold Coast location, which doubled as the Galapagos Islands.

“Stopping the take right away – whatever was happening, whoever was talking – we literally dropped everything and ran away, waiting for the guy to come with the stick and take the snake out. But I think we were fine… no accidents happened.”

From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina is in cinemas June 5.

Read the full interview with Ana de Armas inside Stellar via The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA). For more from Stellar and the podcast, Something To Talk About, click here.

Originally published as ‘I’m open to it’: Bond actor Ana de Armas teases return