Ana de Armas - Best Hollywood Actress

The year 2022 has become one of the most successful in the career of Ana de Armas. Three of her films were released at once: Deep Waters, The Gray Man and Blonde, in which she brilliantly played Marilyn Monroe. There were some minor complaints about her Cuban accent, but overall, the Liberty Island native gave a vivid, deep insight into the beautiful but unfortunate actress, the dream of men and the object of envy of women. So, how did de Armas make almost everyone in Hollywood talk about herself and, moreover, trust her with “serious” roles, we will find out right now.

Childhood and theater school.

Ana de Armas was born on April 30, 1988 in Santa Cruz del Norte. The daughter of a teacher and social worker, de Armas spent her early years with her parents and brother Javier in a small coastal town on the north coast of the island. It was an environment that accompanies an active childhood more than a pastime in a confined space. "I've never owned a PlayStation or a DVD player," she told Men's Journal. “So all I could do was go out and play with other kids.”

This lifestyle changed when she moved with her family to the capital of Cuba - Havana - at the age of 9 years. For a girl who once identified with Emma Bunton of the Spice Girls, immersing herself in a city rich in culture sparked a desire to express herself through performance.

At the age of 14, de Armas entered the school at the National Theater of Cuba, and at 16 he made his screen debut in Manuel Gutierrez Aragon's drama The Rose of France (2006). Following this, the aspiring actress starred in two more films Madrigal (2007) and Paradise Lost (2007). Her employment in the cinema led to her leaving school at the age of 18 and a further departure to Spain.

Spanish movies and TV series.

Despite arriving in an unknown country with few contacts and only 200 euros in her pocket, de Armas managed to land the role of Caroline almost immediately in the teen drama series Black Lagoon (2007-2010). The murder mystery show soon became one of the most popular shows on Spanish television, and de Armas capitalized on her rising fame with a prominent role in the teen comedy Sex, Parties and Lies (2009).

After leaving the Black Lagoon, Ana appeared in the historical series Roman Spain, Legend (2010-2012) as Nerea's slave. She also continued to break into the big screen with her role in the horror film Dead End (2011) and as the HIV-positive Salt in the romantic comedy A Fistful of Kisses (2014).

American movies.

Again challenging his career, de Armas moved to the US in 2014 and began learning English to try his luck in Hollywood. Although she memorized lines by ear for her first English-language paintings, the combination of her natural talents and alluring beauty quickly set her on the path to stardom.

"Who's There" (2015), "Stone Fists" (2016) and "Guys with Trunks" (2016).

Ana made her American debut opposite Keanu Reeves in the psychological thriller Who's There, a remake of The Deadly Game (1977). Her reunion with the John Wick star on the set of the crime drama God's Daughter (2015) went largely unnoticed, but she garnered attention by playing the wife of famed athlete Roberto Duran in Fists of Stone. De Armas also made the most of her screen time in the crime comedy Boys with Guns alongside Miles Teller and Jonah Hill before landing in the adrenaline-fueled production of Overdrive (2017).

Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

De Armas' career took a big leap forward when she joined Denis Villeneuve's long-awaited sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic. Literally lighting up the screen as the holographic Jay, replicant Kay's (Ryan Gosling) love interest, de Armas was later praised for providing the emotional core of the story, where humanity and artificial intelligence intersect. And of course, this brought success to the picture both with the audience and critics.

"Knives Out" (2019).

Following supporting roles in the crime drama 3 Seconds (2019) and the true-life movie Miami Hustle (2019), de Armas re-emerged in the Netflix suspense sleuth with the stellar cast of Knives Out. In this project, she might not have played after she saw the definition of her character Martha as a "pretty Latin American nurse." But she relented when she learned that Martha is not as simple as it seems at first glance. And Ana's immersion in this character earned her her first Golden Globe Award nomination.

"No Time to Die" (2021), "The Gray Man" (2022).

The premiere of the anniversary James Bond film No Time to Die has been postponed several times due to the pandemic. All the more, the fans had a desire to look at the game of the Cuban actress, for whom, as it turned out, the scriptwriters specially prescribed the role. Her brief but memorable on-screen appearance as CIA agent Paloma allowed de Armas to help Daniel Craig emerge beautifully from his role as an elusive spy. And despite Ana's admission that she does not always feel comfortable in the action, this did not stop her from signing up again for the role of a CIA agent in the Netflix thriller The Gray Man. Her partners were Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.

"Blonde" (2022).

Another seminal moment for de Armas came when she agreed to play Marilyn Monroe in an Andrew Dominic drama. The filming of this project based on the novel of the same name by Carol Oates was postponed many times due to the lack of a suitable actress for the lead role. She auditioned once, but the director told her: “It's you. But I have to see everyone. Producers. People with money. I always have people to convince." Criticism came after the publication of the trailer, the audience did not like the Spanish accent of the actress. But the Monroe Heritage Foundation and Brad Pitt came to her defense, saying that no one could have played the fatal blonde better than de Armas.

Relationships, personal life and Ben Affleck.

The actress was married to Spanish actor and model Marc Clotet from 2011 to 2013. In 2020, she became the object of continuous American tabloid attention when she began dating Ben Affleck, her Deep Waters co-star. After a mutual breakup, she began dating Tinder CEO Paul Boukadakis.

In addition to his work in cinema, de Armas is the face of the international project Only Natural Diamonds. She remains close to friends and family in Cuba and often visits the home she owns in Havana.