Why Ana de Armas almost turned down her breakthrough role: “I passed on it twice”
There is perhaps nothing more predictable and disappointing than seeing another Hollywood film that relies on outdated stereotypes to flesh out its secondary characters. Whether it be poorly written women who are reduced to one-word answers or sex objects, Latin women who are only given roles as housekeepers or people of colour who are given insubstantial background parts.
When watching films from 100 years ago and the not-so-distant past, we are inundated with moments that make us wonder how they were ever allowed to be committed to celluloid, whether it be the blatant racism that clouds the otherwise perfect Breakfast at Tiffany’s or the more recent atrocities committed by Christopher Nolan when painting any female character.
For the now Hollywood titan Ana de Armas, this was something she continually came across when beginning her acting career in the United States, describing the one redundant role that she reluctantly accepted despite becoming one of her breakthrough films.
Ana de Armas seemed to explode from nowhere after her performance in Knives Out, the original mystery series created by Rian Johnson in 2019. With a delectable ensemble cast that places some of the most unexpected Hollywood actors in the same room—Michael Shannon, Daniel Craig (with a southern accent), and Toni Collette among them—the film is full of standout moments. However, perhaps the most memorable was de Armas’ role as a nurse who winds up entangled in the twisted schemes of a super-rich family.
However, although she came to the attention of many audiences through her role in this film, she first appeared two years earlier in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, an adaptation of Ridley Scott’s original film.
In the dystopian sci-fi thriller, de Armas played Joi, a non-human AI projection who shifts in form at the touch of a button. Despite being a projection, Joi is perhaps the most human element of the film, with an electric chemistry with Ryan Gosling’s character that allowed him to show a much-needed sense of emotional depth. The film was met with critical acclaim and a few Oscars, with the infamous image of de Armas with pink hair being plastered all over billboards.
However, despite finding some success through this role, it was her next project that launched her to stardom, even though de Armas described her reluctance to sign on to her next project after reading the script and seeing her character described with two disparaging words. “‘Latina, caretaker’,” de Armas said. “I was like, I do not have the energy, what is this?” A
t the time she received the script, she was in the middle of a demanding shoot for Greg Barker’s biopic Sergio. After being offered the role, she described her reaction to the character, saying, “I said, you either tell me why this is worth it or I can’t. I passed on it twice because of that description. In the end, they sent me the whole script and I thought, oh shit! Right away I did an audition.”
Rian Johnson’s adaptation of the Cluedo-style murder mystery became a crucial role in her career, subverting the stereotypes of her character description and earning her a Golden Globe nomination. Her work ethic and natural on-screen charisma also captured the attention of Daniel Craig, who then suggested her to the creators of James Bond to cast her in the final film, No Time to Die. While the two-word character description might not have been very encouraging, you can always count on Rian Johnson to create the unexpected and go against the creative grain, launching de Armas as a global star.
