Ana Celia de Armas Caso (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈanaˈseljaðeˈaɾmasˈkaso]; born 30 April 1988)[2] is a Cuban and Spanish actress. She began her career in Cuba with a leading role in the romantic dramaUna rosa de Francia (2006). At the age of 18, she moved toMadrid, Spain, and starred in the popular dramaEl Internado (2007–2010). After moving toLos Angeles, de Armas had English-speaking roles in the psychological thrillerKnock Knock (2015) and the comedy-crime filmWar Dogs (2016).
De Armas was born inHavana, Cuba,[2] and raised inSanta Cruz del Norte.[3] Her maternal grandparents wereSpanish immigrants to Cuba from the regions ofGuardo,León, andValverde de la Sierra [es],Palencia, both in the north of Spain.[4][5][6] Her father Ramón de Armas had various jobs, including bank manager, teacher, school principal and deputy mayor of a town.[7] He previously studied philosophy at a Soviet University.[7][8] Her mother Ana Caso worked in the human resources section of the Ministry of Education.[9][10][11] De Armas has one older brother, Francisco Javier de Armas Caso, an American–based photographer[7][12] who, in 2020, was questioned by Cuban police due to his critical stance onDecree 349 and his links to artists under government surveillance.[13] While de Armas grew up withfood rationing, fuel shortages and electricity blackouts during Cuba'sSpecial Period,[7][14] she has described her early life as happy.[9]
During her childhood and adolescence, de Armas had no Internet access and had limited knowledge of popular culture beyond Cuba.[15][16] She was allowed to watch "20 minutes of cartoons on Saturday and the Sunday movie matinee."[17] Her family did not own a video or DVD player, and she watched Hollywood movies in her neighbor's apartment.[18] She memorized and practiced monologues in front of a mirror,[19][20] and decided to become an actress when she was 12.[21] In 2002, aged 14, she successfully auditioned to join Havana'sNational Theatre of Cuba.[9][22] She sometimes hitchhiked to attend the "rigorous" course.[23][24] While a student, she filmed three movies.[7][10] She left the four-year drama course shortly before presenting her final thesis because Cuban graduates are forbidden from leaving the country without first completing three years of mandatory service to the community.[10][25] At age 18, with Spanish citizenship through her maternal grandparents,[4][14] she moved toMadrid to pursue an acting career.[10]
In her native Cuba, de Armas had a starring role oppositeÁlex González inManuel Gutiérrez Aragón's romantic dramaUna rosa de Francia (2006).[14] Cuban actorJorge Perugorría suggested that the director consider de Armas for the role, after meeting her while attending a birthday party with his daughters.[26][27] The director visited de Armas's drama school and interrupted the sixteen-year-old during her audition to inform her that the role was hers.[26][28] She travelled to Spain as part of a promotional tour for the film and was introduced to Juan Lanja, who would later become her Spanish agent.[26] She then starred in the movieEl edén perdido (2007) and had a supporting role inFernando Pérez'sMadrigal (2007), filmed at night without the permission of her drama school tutors.[10]
De Armas (standing at the center with number 4) with the cast ofEl internado in 2008
At age 18, de Armas moved to Madrid. Within two weeks of arriving, she met with casting director Luis San Narciso, who had seen her inUna rosa de Francia.[15] Two months later,[29] he cast her as Carolina in the dramaEl Internado,[10] in which she starred for six seasons from 2007 to 2010. The television show, set in a boarding school, became popular with viewers and made de Armas a celebrity figure in Spain.[10] In a break from filming, she starred in the successful coming-of-age comedyMentiras y Gordas (2009).[30] Despite the popularity ofEl Internado, de Armas felt typecast and was mainly offered roles as youngsters.[15] She asked to be written out of the show in its second to last season.[31]
After spending a few months living in New York City to learn English,[25] de Armas was persuaded to return to Spain to star in seventeen episodes of the historical dramaHispania (2010–2011).[3] She then starred inAntonio Trashorras's horror filmsEl callejón (2011) andAnabel (2015),[32] and in the dramaPor un puñado de besos (2014).[33] During a long period without acting work,[23] de Armas participated in workshops atTomaz Pandur's Madrid theatre company[7] and felt "very anxious" about the lack of momentum in her career.[17]
Transition to Hollywood and breakthrough (2014–2019)
With encouragement from her newly hired Hollywood agent, she decided to move to Los Angeles.[15] When de Armas first arrived in Los Angeles in 2014,[34] she had to start her career again "from scratch."[18] She spoke very little English and, during early auditions, she often "didn't even know what [she] was saying."[8] She spent four months in full-time education to learn English,[35][31] not wanting to be confined to playing characters written specifically for Latina actresses.[10] She starred oppositeKeanu Reeves in her first Hollywood release—Eli Roth's erotic thrillerKnock Knock (2015)—and learned her lines phonetically.[36] Despite giving a positive review of the film, Randy Cordova of theArizona Republic found de Armas to be "unconvincing" in her role.[37] Reeves then telephoned de Armas to invite her to star in a Spanish-language role in the thrillerDaughter of God which he acted in and produced.[38] Producer Mark Downie hoped the film would be a star vehicle for de Armas, but due to executive meddling,Daughter of God was severely edited with de Armas' former starring role reduced. The film was ultimately released asExposed in 2016.[39][40]Frank Scheck ofThe Hollywood Reporter noted that while she was "appealing" in her part, de Armas was unable to demonstrate her "character's intense emotional demands."[41]
De Armas had a supporting role inTodd Phillips'sWar Dogs (2016), acting oppositeMiles Teller as the wife of an arms dealer, and again learned her lines phonetically.[42] David Ehrlich of IndieWire found her to be "memorable in a thankless role".[43] She starred oppositeÉdgar Ramírez in the biopicHands of Stone (2016) as the wife of Panamanian boxerRoberto Durán. Despite its delayed release,Hands of Stone was the first Hollywood film de Armas had filmed. While still living in Madrid, she was contacted by directorJonathan Jakubowicz, who had watched her inEl Internado,[31] who asked her to travel to Los Angeles to audition for the Spanish-language part.[14] In reviewing the film, Christy Lemire ofRogerEbert.com described de Armas as "a hugely charismatic presence. But except for a couple of showy moments, she gets little to do besides function as the dutiful wife."[44]
InDenis Villeneuve's futuristic thrillerBlade Runner 2049 (2017), de Armas had a supporting role as Joi, theholographicAI girlfriend ofRyan Gosling's character, a blade runner. Mark Kermode ofThe Guardian said she "brings three-dimensional warmth to a character who is essentially a digital projection."[45] Anthony Lane ofThe New Yorker found her to be "wondrous": "Whenever Joi appears, the movie's imaginative heart begins to race."[46] While the performance was initially discussed as a breakthrough role,[47][34] the film underperformed commercially, and de Armas spent much of the following year in her native Cuba, where she purchased a house.[36] For her performance, she earned a nomination for theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Also in 2017, she had a supporting role in the action thrillerOverdrive as the love interest toScott Eastwood's character.[48] Stephen Dalton ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "radiates more kick-ass charisma than her thankless sidekick role might suggest."[49]
De Armas in 2018
In 2018, de Armas starred oppositeDemián Bichir inJohn Hillcoat's medical dramaCorazón. She played a Dominican woman withcongestive heart failure in the short film, funded byMontefiore Medical Center to raise awareness of organ donation.[50] While de Armas's scenes oppositeHimesh Patel in the 2019 romantic comedyYesterday were included in the film's trailer, they were cut from the final product. The directorDanny Boyle said that, while de Armas was "really radiant" in her scenes, the introduction of a love triangle subplot did not test well with audiences.[51]
De Armas's role as an immigrant nurse in the ensemble murder mystery filmKnives Out (2019), written and directed byRian Johnson, was widely praised and marked a breakthrough for the actress.[52] When first approached about the project, she was unenthusiastic about the idea of playing a stereotypical "Latina caregiver" but soon realized that her character was "so much more than that."[53] Tom Shone ofThe Times remarked, "The film's standout performance comes from its least well-known member, the Cuban de Armas, who manages the difficult task of making goodness interesting."[54] Benjamin Lee ofThe Guardian said her "striking" performance left a "lasting impression."[55] The film was a major box office success.[56] De Armas was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical[57] with her also winning theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and theNational Board of Review Award for Best Cast with the cast.[58]
Leading roles and mainstream recognition (2020–present)
De Armas starred in four films released in the United States in 2020. She had a supporting role in the crime thrillerThe Informer as the wife ofJoel Kinnaman's character.[59] Guy Lodge ofVariety found "her thin role all the more glaring in the wake of herKnives Out stardom."[60] She appeared as afemme fatale in the noir crime dramaThe Night Clerk.[61] Brian Tallerico ofRogerEbert.com said the film had "no idea" what to do with her "blinding charisma"[62] while Katie Rife ofThe AV Club remarked that it would be remembered, "if at all, as a movie de Armas was way too good for."[63] She starred oppositeWagner Moura in the Netflix biopicSergio (2020) as Carolina Larriera, a U.N. official and the partner of diplomatSérgio Vieira de Mello. John DeFore ofThe Hollywood Reporter found her "magnetic"[64] while Jessica Kiang ofVariety said she imbued the part "with an intelligence and will that makes her more than just de Mello's romantic foil."[65] De Armas reunited with Moura to play the wife of one of theCuban Five inOlivier Assayas's Netflix spy thrillerWasp Network.[66] The film was shot on location in Cuba; it was de Armas's first work in her home country since leaving as a teenager.[67] Glenn Kenny ofThe New York Times found her "superb"[68] while Jay Weissberg ofVariety described her as "a joyous, bewitching presence whose career seems destined for the big time."[69]
In 2021, de Armas reunited with Daniel Craig to play aBond girl inCary Joji Fukunaga'sNo Time to Die.[70][71] Fukunaga wrote the character of a Cuban CIA agent with de Armas in mind.[72] She described the character as bubbly and "very irresponsible".[70] In her short appearance inNo Time to Die, her character, Paloma, claims to have little training, but proves to be highly skilled while fighting.[73]No Time to Die was a commercial success, grossing $774.2 million worldwide, and earned positive reviews.[74][75][76][77]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian praised de Armas' "witty and unworldly turn".[78] De Armas starred inAdrian Lyne's erotic thrillerDeep Water, based upon thenovel byPatricia Highsmith. She andBen Affleck play a couple in an open marriage.[79][80] In 2022, de Armas starred in theRusso brothers' Netflix action thrillerThe Gray Man.[81] NeitherDeep Water norThe Gray Man were particularly successful with critics and audiences.[citation needed]
De Armas portrayedMarilyn Monroe (as Norma Jean) in theNetflix biopicBlonde (2022), based on thebiographical fiction novel of the same name byJoyce Carol Oates.[82] DirectorAndrew Dominik noticed de Armas's performance inKnock Knock[83] and, while she went through a long casting process, Dominik secured the role for her after the first audition.[84] In preparation, de Armas worked with adialect coach for about nine months,[85][8][3][86] read Oates' novel and also said she studied hundreds of photographs, videos, audio recordings, and films to prepare for the role.[87] Despite criticism towards her casting, due to her having a notable Spanish accent, de Armas' performance was praised; Catherine Bray ofEmpire labeled de Armas' performance as "powerful", whileRichard Lawson ofVanity Fair remarked that "De Armas is fiercely, almost scarily committed to the role, maintaining high and focused energy through every torrent of tears and screams and traumas."[88][89][90] She received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for theBAFTA,Golden Globe andSAG Award in the same category.[91][92] She became the first Cuban to be nominated for the first of these.[93]
De Armas next starred withChris Evans in theApple TV+ action comedy filmGhosted (2023).[94] Benjamin Lee ofThe Guardian panned the film and the lack of chemistry between de Armas and Evans.[95] She appeared alongside an ensemble cast inRon Howard's survival thrillerEden (2024).[96] She then starred in theJohn Wick spin-off action thrillerBallerina (2025), in which she portrayed a vengeful assassin.[97]
De Armas holds triple Cuban, Spanish and American citizenship.[98] She moved to Los Angeles at 26, and resides inVermont as of 2023.[99][100]
De Armas began a relationship with Spanish actorMarc Clotet in mid-2010. They married on theCosta Brava in July 2011. They divorced in early 2013.[101][102] After meeting on the set ofDeep Water in late 2019, de Armas dated American actorBen Affleck from March 2020 to January 2021.[103][104] De Armas received significant criticism, particularly among members of the Cuban diaspora, for reportedly dating Anido Cuesta, the stepson ofCuban PresidentMiguel Díaz-Canel since November 2024.[105] It was reported in July 2025 that she was dating American actorTom Cruise after she was spotted attending anOasis concert with him.[106]
^Cho, Diane J.; Mercadante, James (17 May 2025)."32 Celebrities Who Became U.S. Citizens".People. Dotdash Meredith. Retrieved22 May 2025."I am proud to become an American citizen because when I moved here, everyone was so welcoming," she said.
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