Golden Globe nominee Ana de Armas talks to NET-A-PORTER’s digital title, PORTER, about working on box-office phenomenon Knives Out with Daniel Craig, her journey from Havana to Hollywood, and starring in the new Bond film, No Time To Die: “Working with Daniel [Craig] again was so great”.

De Armas reunites with Craig – making his fifth and final outing as Bond – having starred together in quirky whodunnit Knives Out, amidst an ensemble of Hollywood names at the top of their games: “It was incredible,” says de Armas of Knives Out, adding that receiving a Golden Globe nomination for the role was “surreal”. 

Her next project will see de Armas tackling the role of screen icon on Marilyn Monroe for Netflix’s eagerly awaited biopic, Blonde: “I read everything I could about Marilyn. It wasn’t just about transforming physically to look the part, it was about understanding her emotional life, how intelligent she was, and how fragile.”

The actor found herself in a familiar setting while filming No Time To Die, the 25th instalment of the James Bond franchise. The Cuban-born actress traveled to Pinewood Studios, just outside London, which had been transformed into a near-identical replica of downtown Havana for the film: “It was completely freezing, so it did not feel like home. But I was impressed by how beautiful and realistic it was. It went on and on forever.” 

Although proud of her Cuban heritage, de Armas needed to leave her home country to pursue acting: “I always knew what to expect. I knew the limitations of the country, in terms of production. I had to go.” She knew she wanted to act, and went first to Spain to kick-start her career in TV: “So before I even turned 18, I told my parents that was going to happen. They’ve been so supportive, I was lucky. But it was me going into the unknown. I was just like, ‘This is what I’m going to do with my life.’ I put myself in their shoes and realize now what they were thinking, and how terrifying it must have been.”

By any measure, de Armas fits the profile of “next big thing”. At the end of 2020, when her five new projects have all premiered on screens big and small, de Armas’s fate as a household name may well be sealed. 

For PORTER’s shoot, de Armas was photographed by Olivia Malone and styled by Alison Edmond wearing the must have pieces from fashion’s newest names: Christophe John Rogers, Ioannes, Paris Georgia, Peter Do and more. All items can be purchased straight from the shoot via the NET-A-PORTER app, available on Android as well as iPhone and iPad, and through net-a-porter.com.

Interview highlights:

Ana de Armas on working on Bond, where she stars alongside Daniel Craig: “…working with Daniel [Craig] again was so great”.

Ana de Armas on the eagerly awaited Blonde biopic, where de Armas plays Marilyn Monroe: “I read everything I could about Marilyn. It wasn’t just about transforming physically to look the part, it was about understanding her emotional life, how intelligent she was, and how fragile.”

Ana de Armas on her Cuban heritage, and needing to leave her home country to pursue acting: “I always knew what to expect. I knew the limitations of the country, in terms of production. I had to go.”

Ana de Armas on how terrified her parents must have been at the time she left home: “So before I even turned 18, I told my parents that [moving abroad] was going to happen. They’ve been so supportive, I was lucky. But it was me going into the unknown. I was just like, ‘This is what I’m going to do with my life.’ I put myself in their shoes and realize now what they were thinking, and how terrifying it must have been.”

Ana de Armas on Pinewood Studios being transformed into a near-identical replica of downtown Havana, de Armas’s hometown, for Bond: “It was completely freezing, so it did not feel like home. But I was impressed by how beautiful and realistic it was. It went on and on forever.” 

Ana de Armas on starring in Knives Out: “It was incredible.”

Ana de Armas on how receiving a Golden Globe nomination for the role was: “surreal”.

Ana de Armas on feeling honored to receive the Golden Globe nomination: “It was very unexpected for me, and obviously I was proud and honored. I was really nervous and kind of wishing I wasn’t going to win, so I wouldn’t have to go up on stage. At first, I thought, ‘What am I going to do there by myself with all these people?’” 

Ana de Armas on looking around the awards ceremony at the Golden Globes and seeing a few familiar faces that made her feel at ease: “Of course, I knew Rian [Johnson, the film’s writer and director] and the actors at my table. Then I started looking around and I saw Robert De Niro, who I did a movie with, and Todd Phillips, who I also did a movie with. I’ve just never been in this kind of environment with them. It made me relax a little to know I wasn’t alone in a scary room.”

Ana de Armas on her childhood in Cuba, and how recycling clothes was an economic necessity at the time – she wore her brother’s hand-me-downs for many years: “his old school uniform pants cut into play short”.

Ana de Armas on growing up in an apartment building, surrounded by music: “Cuban people don’t know boundaries very well…. you listen to each other’s music and parties whether you wanted to or not.”

Ana de Armas on her 20 minutes of cartoons on Saturday and the Sunday-movie matinee during her childhood: “In some ways, it just made it more special. There was such a short time to watch something. You knew you had to do your homework and help clean the house in time to watch the midday movie. When you finally got in front of the TV, you didn’t want to be bothered.”
Ana de Armas on preferring putting comfort first when it comes to clothes:  “In the morning, I get up so early to go to set. I see the cute boots or the sneakers when I’m deciding what to wear, and I always choose the sneakers.”

To see the full interview, head to PORTER or download the NET-A-PORTER app for iPhone, iPad and Android