Chris Evans and Ana de Armas’s collaboration is what jumpstarted the latter’s career and fame in Hollywood. Although the Cuban actress is one of the most talented and dynamic performers in her own right, she had stayed relatively unknown and under the radar until her appearance in the dark-wooded Christie-esque ensemble murder mystery, Knives Out. Since her breakout role in the film, Ana de Armas has been on a warpath of conquering the industry with singularly stunning performances.
Chris Evans Shares His First Reaction to Blonde Actress
Chris Evans, of Captain America fame, has appeared in two films with the Blonde actress, Ana de Armas. After their appearance in Knives Out (2019), the duo again reunited in the Russo Brothers-directed high-octane Netflix action film, The Gray Man (2022). Although receptive to a mediocre review, both have moved on to other projects, de Armas now more significantly focused on the release of her pre-pandemic filmed Andrew Dominik psychological thriller, Blonde, based loosely on the life of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.
During the two actors’ time on the set of The Gray Man, their friendship which had grown remarkably heartwarming over the years proved true when de Armas decided to put on a screening. Upon Ana de Armas’s appearance as Marilyn Monroe, Evans was more than taken aback. The Marvel veteran later divulged,
“I think this was one of the first opportunities she had to really sink her teeth into something incredibly demanding. I didn’t see one bit of fear; I saw excitement. I remember looking at it and saying, ‘OK, that’s Marilyn … where’s your shot? That’s you? Holy shit! You’re going to win an Oscar for this!’”
Ana de Armas’s Rise to Becoming the Next Starlet
Ana de Armas has evolved more than her fellow contemporaries over the years leading up to Blonde. Her career resurgence began with Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and quickly escalated to her role as a Bond girl in No Time To Die (2021) and the disturbingly good Deep Water (2022). But before the more deserving mentions, the actress built herself up on lesser-known films like the Keanu Reeves-starring Exposed (2016), Wasp Network (2019), The Informer (2019), and Sergio (2020), among others.
Her commanding on-screen presence came much later and her casting as Marilyn Monroe by Andrew Dominik was a crucial aspect responsible for making that happen. Ana de Armas reconciled feelings of rejection and not being good enough while delivering her career-defining performance in Blonde. The overwhelming emotions that crowd the frames ebb and flow with a violent undertone of the reality behind the Monroe-aura. de Armas not only succeeds in wrenching out the psychological drama but makes it felt in every move and curve of her performance, something which the earlier biopics in their deifying representation failed to do. Inasmuch, Evans’ Oscar claim might not seem too far-fetched of an idea.
The NC-17 Netflix film, Blonde, premieres on Netflix on September 28, 2022.
Source: Variety
