Ana de Armas has rapidly ascended to become one of cinema's most prominent and sought-after stars. Despite her relatively short career, she has already earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, positioning her as a potential Latin icon for the years to come.
Ana de Armas spent her childhood in Havana, Cuba, in a small seaside town. During her early years, venturing beyond her community or into the city was a challenge due to transportation limitations. To entertain herself, she and her friends turned to acting, dancing, and singing.
Recognizing her budding artistic talents, her parents enrolled her in a theater school in the city. To attend classes, Ana had to rely on daily rides, often stopping at traffic lights to explain her destination to strangers. At that time, Hollywood felt like a distant dream.
Ana recalls that growing up in Cuba meant making do with limited beauty products. The community adopted a "do it yourself" approach out of necessity. In this environment, beauty standards were shaped more by natural attributes and skin care than by comparisons with others. Ana reflects on this positively, stating, "I think beauty is more about enhancing your natural attractiveness and taking care of your skin. I definitely didn't grow up with the beauty ideal of people comparing themselves to each other or anything like that. I guess it was very mentally healthy for a developing child."
Following her graduation from the National Theater School of Cuba, Ana de Armas remained in her home country for a few years, appearing in national films. However, she decided to take her career further and relocated to Madrid.
Driven by ambition, Ana confessed, "I have always been very ambitious, and I always knew I wanted something more." While Cuba had been a good starting point, she realized she needed to be closer to the filmmakers she aspired to work with. With only $200 to her name, Ana made the daring move to Madrid, where she aimed to explore new possibilities.
In her first week in Madrid, Ana secured a role in the television series "Laguna Negra Boarding School," which quickly achieved international acclaim. This role paved the way for her recognition in Spain. However, despite her growing success, Ana yearned for something more challenging.
In 2014, she decided to take her chances in the United States, carrying little more than a suitcase and a determination to embrace whatever opportunities came her way. Despite her limited English proficiency, Ana spent four months immersed in language classes in Los Angeles and auditioned tirelessly. She recalled, "I didn't speak English, and I knew I had a long road ahead of me, that it would be a slow process, and that I would have to be patient. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time, but honestly, I didn't think it would happen so quickly."
With English as her second language, Ana de Armas initially learned her lines phonetically for her early English-language roles. Yet, her perseverance paid off, and in 2015, she starred alongside Keanu Reeves in "The Dark Side of Desire" and acted alongside Jonah Hill and Miles Teller in "Friends in Arms."
One year later, she achieved a career milestone by landing the role of Joi, an android, in the acclaimed film "Blade Runner 2049." For this role, Ana made one request: not to cut her hair and to use a wig instead.
Her career soared, leading her to share the screen with notable actors such as Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Daniel Craig. In 2022, she portrayed Marilyn Monroe in the Netflix film "Blonde." Ana's dedication and talent led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, marking a remarkable achievement in her already impressive career.
