Cuban actress Ana de Armas declared her ‘love’ for John Wick co-star Keanu Reeves, saying ‘to get back on set with him after 10 years is pretty extraordinary and magical’
Hollywood star Ana de Armas went through hell to make new action flick Ballerina. The actress plays an assassin in the latest instalment from the John Wick franchise.
That meant tackling a string of tough fight scenes. Ana said: “Making this picture pushed me over my limits, for sure. It was extremely exhausting. It was so much work. It was definitely another level.”
Cuba-born Ana spent months learning how to do high-octane stunts. That included training in acrobatics, martial arts and even firearms. Over the years Ana has filmed a string of action movies including James Bond flick No Time To Die, but there’s no doubt that Ballerina is her toughest one yet.
She said: “I had some experience in action films, but I don’t think I knew the level of discipline that was required for this film. It was a mental discipline I was not familiar with.
“I wanted the action to be believable and not larger-than-life.
“It took a lot of preparation and I learned a lot of new skills.”
For one jaw-dropping scene, Ana had to film a fight sequence on ice. She said: “It was really difficult. They had to put screws in my boots so I could stand on the ice.
“It was freezing, but visually it’s beautiful and it added an element of humour and fun to the scene.”
Despite being pushed to her limits, Ana is convinced it was all worth it. She said: “It is a process that, despite its physical challenges, was really inspiring.
“It was very challenging but also really empowering and badass to be able to pull it off.”
Starring in the film meant she got to reunite with pal Keanu Reeves almost a decade after making Knock Knock together. Getting to work together again was a dream for her.
She said: “I love Keanu. I love and admire him so much. To get back on set with him after 10 years is pretty extraordinary and magical.”
Ana and Keanu got to fight each other for one scene and they had a lot of fun. She added: “I love watching Keanu work and how dedicated he is.
“He lets other actors find their way into the action, which is very inspiring. While working with him, I was just thinking, ‘I hope I can do that as well, at the same level.’”
Ballerina is out at cinemas on Friday.
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