Ana de Armas discussed her 10-year “beautiful friendship” with Keanu Reeves at the Red Sea International Film Festival’s “In Conversation” on December 5, 2025. The Oscar-nominated star noted their special bond persisted despite her early English struggles after moving to Los Angeles over a decade ago.
De Armas called her action roles in No Time to Die, The Gray Man, Ghosted, and Ballerina—a John Wick spin-off—unplanned, as she never viewed herself as athletic. She described Ballerina‘s grueling months-long training as exhausting yet thrilling, aided by Reeves and director Chad Stahelski. The festival highlighted her rise from early hardships to Hollywood fame.
De Armas began with a rule-breaking film role as a Havana theater student, then saved 300 euros to move to Madrid at 18. Spanish TV fame typecast her as a young girl, leading to her 2016 L.A. move with three suitcases, her dog, and no English. Breakthroughs came in Blade Runner 2049 with Denis Villeneuve and her Oscar-nominated Blonde role, deepened by Marilyn Monroe research.
The Red Sea International Film Festival runs until December 13, 2025, featuring stars like de Armas.
