Ballerina star Ana de Armas reveals that the upcoming John Wick spinoff movie will be the end of her action-hero career, at least for now. Directed by Len Wiseman, Ballerina features de Armas as an assassin who sets out for revenge after her family is murdered. The upcoming spinoff is de Armas' latest action movie after appearing in popular supporting roles in No Time To Die and The Gray Man.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, however, de Armas reveals that Ballerina might, for the foreseeable future, mark the end of her time as an action star. The actor, who also recently starred as Marilyn Monroe in director Andrew Dominik's divisive movie, Blonde, which earned her an Oscar nomination, expresses that she's more interested in pursuing dramatic roles instead of action-heavy ones for this next stage of her career. Check out de Armas' full comment below:
“After Bond, there was kind of a wave of all these action roles, and that was fun. I chose from the ones that I thought were more exciting or with people I wanted to work with. I feel like Ballerina is going to be the end of that, at least for now, because I’m craving a wave of Blonde-type films. I want to do work with directors and do character work. I have had the opportunity to meet directors that I want to work with. The people that I’m getting access to is changing, and that makes me very excited.”
Ana de Armas Shouldn't Abandon Action Movies Entirely
Although de Armas is clearly drawn to more complex character studies and highly dramatic roles that allow her to work with a greater variety of auteur filmmakers, the actress clearly has a talent when it comes to being an action star. De Armas appeared for all of 15 minutes in No Time To Die as Paloma, Bond's cheerful but highly capable contact in Cuba, and she essentially steals the movie. Although Daniel Craig's swansong as Bond earned mostly positive reviews overall, the Cuba sequences were particularly highly praised and de Armas is a large reason for that.
De Armas also appeared in Netflix's The Gray Man, which may not have been a great movie, but it further solidified that she can capture the physicality needed for action-heavy roles while also balancing displays of charm, vulnerability, and poise. Ballerina's release is still a way off and the first trailer for the film hasn't even been released yet, but the fact that it has Chad Stahelski, the former stuntman who has directed all four John Wick movies, involved as a producer is a strong sign that it will be a great addition to the franchise.
While it's understandable that de Armas doesn't want to focus solely on action roles and wants to flex her dramatic muscles more as an actor, she clearly has a knack for portraying action-hero-like characters. Plus, if Ballerina ends up being a hit at the box office and with audiences, it would be a shame if the actor elected not to return for a sequel. Hopefully, de Armas can find a way to balance both types of projects moving forward, delivering Oscar-worthy dramatic performances while also having fun in the John Wick universe and beyond.
Source: Vanity Fair