Ana de Armas enters the 'John Wick' action zone with 'Ballerina'
The 37-year-old Cuban actress joins the not-messing-around crew this spring.
Before the fall of 2014, being in an action movie was a nice notch for an actor to have on their Hollywood belt. Picking up a gun, throwing a punch, or using your body like a weapon adds a layer of intrigue to anyone’s IMDB resume, no matter the level of the direction or the sharpness of the script. Having a substantial part in a John Wick movie is a difference maker.
The entire spectrum was changed forever when Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves debuted the first Wick movie 11 years ago. Gone was the easy ability to speed up the camera, making an actress look faster than they were behind the scenes. The ability to fake it was gone. The entire aesthetic was altered from the body-toss made by Reeves in the hit movie that spawned three sequels. The camera stood farther back, giving the audience member a wider (and more realistic) view of the action unfolding. Stunt doubles weren’t impossible to employ in the final shot, but hiding their faces took longer.
Ana de Armas enters the John Wick zone this spring with Ballerina, a fresh entry to Lionsgate’s billion-dollar franchise gearing up for several additions over the next five years. She will play Eve Maccaro, a recruit from the female assassin group that finds herself on the revenge trail. The same scent kept John’s renegade killer going strong for four films. While plot details are vague in all the trailers, she is a woman torn with deadly skills waiting to be unleashed. It’s a step up for any newcomer to the film series, but a very large one for a leading player.
Armas is no stranger to the action genre, having shown off her skills in The Gray Man and No Time to Die, flashing athletic ability that more than likely caught the eye of the John Wick producers to snag her for an adventure film of her own. It’s a large stage for her, but the action scenes, besides leading men like Ryan Gosling and Daniel Craig, show she can handle the pressure.
That will come in handy when de Armas squares off against Reeves during a scene in Ballerina, a fight before or after the two characters cross paths. Eve comes from the same school that helped train and mold John, and a bond is strengthened when she walks the same path of revenge that marked most of his life. While it’s only a small part, I like the addition of Reeves to the de Armas launch, because it’s his world after all. Without the impact of John’s story, there would be no spin-offs to create.
At 89 minutes, Ballerina isn’t messing around regarding getting the job done quickly. It is unclear what it leads to for de Armas, who owns an Oscar nomination for the Netflix film, Blonde. If the box office dollars roll in like gravy, there will be more Maccaro adventures. Perhaps, her journey could run alongside Wick’s as he prepares for a fifth film. Director Len Wiseman gets instructions and some notes from Lionsgate as he shapes his action hero because the world is connected and will tie into each other as more spin-offs and sequels occur.
It’s a step up for de Armas, who already has a potent career with a few years to spare before 40. She has the looks and the range to make a career in Hollywood, but making a dent in the world of fun would be a game-changer.
Audiences find out on June 6 when Ballerina is released to a broad theatrical audience. Can she kill three men with a pencil? Maybe. Can she fall out of a window and hit three things before crashing into the ground, only to need a few stitches and some bourbon to be better? Only time will tell.
Ana de Armas will be up to the task.