Ana De Armas Reflects on ‘Full-Circle’ Moment With Keanu Reeves

The upcoming release of Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off, features Ana de Armas as a trained assassin following in Keanu Reeves‘ footsteps. De Armas first met Reeves a decade ago when they starred in Knock Knock, and then the film Exposed the following year. By then, he was already immersed in the world of John Wick. Working with him on his turf and watching him become John Wick was a completely encompassing moment for de Armas.

De Armas Makes a Heartfelt Admission

“I have had the pleasure of working with Keanu [Reeves] three times already, and Ballerina was particularly special because it was me stepping into his world,” de Armas told IGN. “The world of John Wick, which is so loved by the fans. I respect and appreciate Keanu as an artist, as a person and as a friend, he’s a leader and force on set, and always a gentleman.”

After living in the John Wick universe for over a decade, de Armas found him to be the best source for any questions about her character. “His creativity and input during the rehearsal is always so inspiring, he knows these films better than anyone and I loved having him by my side,” she said. “When I saw him walking on set dressed as John, it was pretty surreal. I’ll never forget that day. Keanu has always been a huge influence on me, since the day we met.”

Her Character May Be More Dangerous Than John Wick

Unlike Reeves’ John Wick, de Armas’ character, Eve Macarro, has the added advantage of being a skilled ballerina, which gives her increased balance, flexibility, and strength that others don’t have. “Because she’s a ballerina, she’s very good with close combat flights,” de Armas said. “She’s fast and always three steps ahead, using real life objects as weapons, turning simple things into something deadly, which is a quality that I love. This also allowed us a sort of freedom when creating fun and interesting fights, every set piece was our playground.”

But John and Eve also have a lot in common, as both have spent a lot of time seeking vengeance for the murder of someone they loved. In her case, it was the death of her father, which she witnessed as a child. When the Ruska Roma takes her in to train her to be a ballerina and assassin, her secret goal is to find the men responsible and use her expertise to make them pay. This will also lead to conflict for Eve with many powerful players in the John Wick universe.

“The details about these men have been kept from her for years, but Eve cannot let it go,” de Armas said. “So she embarks on a journey to find them and take vengeance, violating pacts and rules that will bring very bad consequences for her.”