‘Ballerina' Star Ana de Armas Calls for More Original Female Action Films; Says Bond Should ‘Let James Be James'

Ana de Armas says there should be more films like her forthcoming bare-knuckle action project 'Ballerina,' rather than tinkering with gender-swapping legacy characters like James Bond.
De Armas is on the ground at CinemaCon, promoting her 'John Wick' spinoff from Lionsgate, where she caught up with Variety about discourse prompted this week by actor Helen Mirren.
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The dame and screen legend recently told the UK's Guardian that she 'never liked the way women were in James Bond,' and that the concept around the billion-dollar spy franchise 'is drenched and born out of profound sexism.'
De Armas made a triumphant debut in the 2021 Bond film 'No Time to Die,' where her character Paloma was praised for breaking with Bond Girl tradition. The character not only got the movie's biggest laughs, she held her own in gun and hand combat alongside Daniel Craig, saving his Tom Ford-suited ass in their scenes together.
'Why don't we have more movies about Paloma? Let James be James and John Wick be John Wick. We'll do our thing,' de Armas said during an appearance at The John Wick Experience, a multi-room immersive pop-up, where fans can check into the notorious Continental Hotel featured in the Keanu Reeves films. 'When you get a woman fighting, you'll be surprised the things she can pull off.'
The Oscar nominee also noted that the Bond storytelling universe can open to new stories now that its longtime producers have handed the keys to Amazon MGM.
'I'm sure that Barbara Broccoli and Robert Wilson made the best decision for James Bond. Whatever happens, that can go anywhere [creatively],' she said of future narratives from the world of Ian Fleming's spy novels.
At Lionsgate's Monday presentation for the annual convention of movie theater owners, de Armas proved that 'Ballerina' is an exemplary blueprint for the kind of female-led action fare she wants to see in the marketplace.
As Eve Maccaro, a dancer turned assassin avenging her father's death, de Armas cuts a gritty (and pretty glamorous) figure taking blows to the face and axes (nearly) to the dome. The star told Variety that her preparation and shooting schedule were relentless, and that trainers prioritized calorie cycling and recovery.
'When you're training at this level, everything is important — diet, sleep, massages, physiotherapy. If you don't get good recovery, you're screwed. The intensity is so demanding,' she said.
'Ballerina,' which costar Reeves, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane and Anjelica Huston, opens June 6 nationwide.
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