Ana de Armas Says It's ‘Really Amazing' To Be Working With Tom Cruise
Access Hollywood spoke to Ana De Armas at the premiere of 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' on Tuesday night where she detailed what it was like filming the intense stunts and the physical toll that it took on her body. The actress also reacted to kind words that Tom Cruise said about Ana's acting to Access in a recent interview, 'It's very special and very surreal that an actor like him, someone like him likes the movie and my performance and my work. We're working together now, so it's really amazing.' 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina' will be released in theaters everywhere on June 6th.
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Geek Vibes Nation
an hour ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Ballerina' Review - Ana de Armas Is A Bona Fide Badass
It doesn't matter how good you are or how qualified you are on paper; if you don't fit their mold, they will undoubtedly underestimate you. But you know what? Let them. Let their presumptions be their downfall. Obliterate the box they want to fit you in, redefine the archetype, and no need to prove them wrong, prove yourself right. Make them question the status quo, which in turn makes them question themselves. Win on your terms. Furthermore, define yourself before your narrative becomes dictated by others. If all else fails, call Eve. 'Does she know who her parents really were?' If you thought the chaos that ensued after John Wick's dog was killed was a wild ride, wait until you experience the wrath of over a decade of hate, animosity, and pain being unleashed. Directed by Len Wiseman, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a vengeance-driven body count bonanza. As the film nestles cozily between John Wick 3 and 4 , Eve firmly plants her flag within this universe, solidifying two things: the franchise just got better, and Ana de Armas is a bona fide badass. From utilizing the same neon and cold color aesthetic, interacting with familiar faces, along with a somewhat similar story format, I can't remember a spinoff being this good. Not to mention, our ballerina, Eve, lets more bodies hit the floor than playing the Drowning Pool song on repeat for hours. With arguably more grit than the films that bore it and featuring the same level of hypnotic magnetism, Ballerina is sure to dazzle audiences. With endless guns, a myriad of blades, and enough vengeance for multiple films, fans are treated to a buffet of violence and the cold smolder of Eve's eyes. While the plot may be simple and the story uncomplicated, there's a visceral understanding and relatability to what is unfolding. Motivated by tragedy, Eve has pushed past her limits in training and is prepared to hunt down those who have taken from her. The only problem is that doing so goes against the rules held by the Ruska Roma. And as we know, if you break the rules, you've just initiated your own demise. 'If you deal in blood, there must be rules.' The film thrives in its authentic feel as it details Eve's size disadvantages and how, to succeed as an assassin or Kikimora (protector), she'll have to be unorthodox, being told to 'Fight like a girl'. This aspect is where the film separates and stands out from JW . Not only does it highlight the beginning of her grueling training, but you can see her progression with each deadly encounter. She has no contacts or support system and no bulletproof suit, only a heart full of fire and the ability to end a life with almost anything. The story features about the same amount of dialogue as Keanu Reeves' first assassin outing, however, de Armas' Eve Macarro has a lot more to say as their circumstances differ. High-octane action may be what's on the surface and what audiences fawn over, but what is at its core is highlighting and thwarting cultism and dangerous indoctrination. And Eve unknowingly takes on a task that even John Wick would have trouble with. Speaking of John, yes, he is in the film, and fortunately, not as much as you'd think. His presence is only needed in the moments presented, as Ana de Armas does a fantastic job leading the story. Instead of believing lore, we're seeing the birth of it. The fight choreography is top-tier, as expected, and the camerawork works in perfect tandem with each action sequence. Moreover, the craft team did an amazing job with the aesthetics. I think I can confidently say that there will be a sequel. Its rewatchability is high. Ana de Armas as Eve in Ballerina. Photo Credit Murray Close/Lionsgate © 2025 Lionsgate Not unlike the rest of the John Wick franchise, the pacing of this film is relentless yet steady as the action comes early and often. What popped for me was the unspoken progression of Eve's confidence, fighting style, and ability. The visual storytelling is horrific for those who stand in her way, but exhilarating for the viewer. Keanu Reeves as John Wick in Ballerina. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate © 2025 Lionsgate Starring: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, with Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves Ana de Armas crushes this performance. Who would've thought that after 2015's Knock Knock, that de Armas and Keanu Reeves would be standing across from each other as the most prolific professional killers. As Eve, she matches John Wick's brooding demeanor, exceeds his intensity, and ultimately is a perfect fit for the Wick Universe. She harbors the ideal balance of killer and care, and the combination makes for an exciting experience. Ballerina releases in theaters on June 6, 2025. Stay safe and RIP Lance Reddick. Rated: R Runtime: 2h 5m Director: Len Wiseman Writer: Shay Hatten Producer: Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Chad Stahelski Executive Producers: Keanu Reeves, Louise Rosner, Kevan Van Thompson, Kaley Smalley Romo, Shay Hatten Director of Photography: Romain Lacourbas, AFC, ASC Production Designer: Phil Ivey Editers: Nicholas Lundgren, Jason Ballantine ASE, ACE Costume Designer: Tina Kalivas Music by: Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard Stunt Coordinator: Jackson Spidell Supervising Stunt Coordinator: Stephen Dunlevy
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Tom Cruise's burning parachute stunt earns Guinness World Record
1 of 4 | Tom Cruise broke a Guinness World Record during filming for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" when he completed 16 skydiving jumps out of a helicopter while wearing a parachute that was on fire. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 6 (UPI) -- Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning star Tom Cruise earned a Guinness World Record during filming when he completed six jumps out of a helicopter with his parachute on fire. The record-keeping organization said Cruise, who plays Ethan Hunt in the espionage film series, earned the title for the most burning parachute jumps by an individual. In each of his 16 jumps, Cruise was strapped to a parachute that had been soaked in fuel and lit it on fire, before cutting himself free of the burning chute and deploying a backup. "Tom doesn't just play action heroes -- he is an action hero," Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said in a news release. "A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It's an honor to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title," Glenday said. Most burning parachute jumps by an individual - 16 Congratulations @TomCruise Guinness World Records (@GWR) June 5, 2025 Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opened in theaters May 23 and is expected to be Cruise's last Mission: Impossible movie. Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell attend 'Mission: Impossible' NYC premiere Tom Cruise arrives on the red carpet at the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" premiere in New York City on May 18, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Ballerina' review: Ana de Armas' John Wick spinoff has good fights, bad everything else
movie review FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA Running time: 125 minutes. Rated R (strong/bloody violence throughout, and language). In theaters. Even assassins get a universe now. Continuing the weedy sprawl of a franchise that hardly needs it is 'From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,' an origin-to-revenge story about Eve, a dancer and a paid murderer played by Ana de Armas. Call her Killing Eve II. Or Wick the Worse. The first four 'John Wick' films, starring Keanu Reeves, are fantastic and artful orgies of death with stunner locations such as Sacré-Cœur stairs in Paris and the Moroccan desert. The imagery is often breathtaking, and Reeves' steely resolve more than makes up for the thinness of the plots. Too bad 'Ballerina' drops the ball. Despite being led by an actress who once took on the role of Marilyn Monroe, it's a much less attractive movie — downright ugly sometimes. The fights are as brutal and thrilling as they should be: knives to the face, hammers to the face, grenades to the face. The face always loses. But the tale of Eve, whose assassin father was offed before she was taken to the Ruska Roma in New York to be trained in the dark arts by a phoning-it-in Anjelica Huston, is a recycled schlep. A blah de bourrée. This Len Wiseman-directed flick is 45 minutes shorter than 'John Wick 4,' but spiritually, it's longer than jury duty. 3 Eve (Ana de Armas) goes on a hunt for her father's killer in 'Ballerina.' ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection As a boring adult, Eve learns to pirouette and execute. 'Fight like a girl,' her teacher tells her. What a script! She obsessively stares at a toy ballerina from her childhood that spins as music from 'Swan Lake' plays. It's a tad on the nose — or beak, as it were. All the while, she is dead set on finding the baddies responsible for doing in her dad 12 years earlier. All she knows is that the men have an 'X' scar on their wrists. The journey to subdue Mr. Ex is basically a bar crawl. 3 De Armas' acting leaves something to be desired. Whereas John Wick traveled to exotic places and fought in architecturally fun spaces — museums filled with mirrors and glass, art-deco vaults — much of 'Ballerina' takes the aughts route of 'Alias' with Jennifer Garner: nightclubs. There's shootout after shootout in implausible nntz-nntz dancefloors. Everywhere Eve goes has a whiff of Berlin. Except, that is, the one place that finally perks up our depressed eyeballs. Her rogue search takes her to a creepily quiet, snowy village in Austria, where it turns out every resident is an assassin. A blood-soaked Stepford. The best skirmish happens inside a lodge-y restaurant there, where, it turns out, the cook is a professional killer. The dastardly chef wants to make schnitzel out of Eve. Soon after comes a groaner of a battle, in which Eve combats a flame-thrower-wielding blond man with a water hose. 3 Keanu Reeves briefly returns as John Wick. De Armas has never been much of an actress. She's more of a presence. The Cuban-Spanish performer got by in the horrific Monroe monstrosity 'Blonde' by being effervescent. Eve is, like Wick, deceptively complex. On the outside, she's a blank slate. However, while Reeves' character suggests a storm raging beneath his cool surface, de Armas' interior has a neon 'Vacancy' sign hanging up. Other well-liked actors from the Wickiverse return. Lance Reddick, who died in 2023, makes his final screen appearance as Charon, and Ian McShane is back as Winston, the Continental Hotel's dapper boss. They're joined by a mighty roster of character actors: Gabriel Byrne as the evil Chancellor and Norman Reedus as an assassin on the run. Everybody, though, gives their B-game for 'Ballerina.' Even Reeves pops by for what is, unfortunately, an adequate adventure.
