No Time to Die and The Gray Man star Ana de Armas wants to avoid being defined as an action actress. The rising star performed in a wide variety of projects before her breakout role in Rian Johnson's 2019 murder mystery Knives Out. Her career began in Spanish-language series like El internado and Hispania, la leyenda before she moved onto English roles in films like the Todd Phillips drama War Dogs with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller and the Eli Roth thriller Knock Knock opposite Keanu Reeves. Although Knives Out was the role that got her the most attention, earning her a Golden Globe nomination, she also scored a major part as the AI hologram Joi in Blade Runner 2049.
Although most of her previous projects felt completely different from one another, de Armas has been appearing in more and more action films in the three years since her Knives Out performance. She made a huge impression during a brief appearance in the recent Bond effort No Time to Die as the green but enthusiastic Paloma, a role which coincides with her casting in the Russo Brothers' upcoming Netflix actioner The Gray Man, premiering on Netflix on July 22. She has also been cast in the upcoming John Wick spinoff Ballerina, playing the character originated by Unity Phelan in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
de Armas was recently featured in a profile for Elle, discussing her role in The Gray Man. During the conversation, she brought up her worries that, with all her recent action roles, she might start to be pigeonholed as an action performer. It was never her intention to be labeled that way, and she doesn't want that type of role to take up the rest of her career, because it's "not where I’m the most comfortable, to be honest, because I feel ridiculous." Read her full quote below:
The truth is, I never thought I was going to be an action actor. It wasn’t my thing. You have to be careful, because it’s not what I want to put the focus on. This is not where I’m the most comfortable, to be honest, because I feel ridiculous. And it takes a lot of work.
It's true that, if she wants to continue her career trajectory (which could very well include winning an Oscar), she'll likely need to diversify her roles beyond the action genre. Fortunately, de Armas has already done great work in that regard - the actress has earned early praise from co-stars for her role as Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming Netflix movie Blonde. However, action movies quite often turn into franchise roles and that could potentially keep de Armas from exploring other roles like she seems inclined to do.
Considering the fact that her two biggest post-Knives Out projects, No Time to Die and The Gray Man, have been action films, de Armas will have to make some very calculated decisions to escape the action genre label. Her buzzy upcoming Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde may help her shift her career focus if it finds success. However, the adult drama has found less of a place in theaters recently, so it may be a challenge to find somewhere where her performance style truly fits.
Source: Elle
