Ten years ago, hardly anyone outside of Cuba knew her name. Now? Now Ana de Armas is the kind of actress casting directors lose sleep over – in the best way possible. She has that one thing you cannot train: she can make you believe she is completely innocent, and two seconds later, you realize she is already three steps ahead of you.
These are her ten best films to date.
10. Knock Knock (2015)
A controversial choice, as most people found this film simply bad and watched it mainly for the numerous nude scenes. It is a typical Eli Roth film in which Keanu Reeves is stalked by two women pretending to be lost hikers. The plot is thin, the moral unclear, and the ending is remarkable to say the least. However, Ana de Armas immediately stands out; even in this film, she radiates off the screen.
9. The Informer (2019)
In this grim crime thriller, her role is smaller but functional. The film revolves around double agendas and a man caught between the police and the mafia. Ana provides the film’s personal anchor. She gives the chaos a face that has something to lose.
8. The Gray Man (2022)
Amidst the thundering explosions and the killing pace of this Netflix blockbuster, you might almost forget that acting is required. Yet De Armas effortlessly holds her own alongside heavyweights like Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. As Dani Miranda, she isn’t just another sidekick who is there to look good; she brings a much-needed dose of humanity to all the violence.
7. Deep Water (2022)
In this erotic thriller, De Armas plays Melinda, a femme fatale who shifts in every direction. Charming, childlike, cruel, suddenly vulnerable, sometimes all at once. She is the enigma here. You keep watching because you are never certain if she is playing, lying, or simply feels no boundaries.
6. Eden (2025)
In this survival thriller by Ron Howard, De Armas is the standout as the manipulative ‘Baroness’. While a group of settlers tries to establish a utopia on an uninhabited island, she arrives to skillfully ruin things with her arrogant plans for a luxury hotel. With a delightfully thick accent and a healthy dose of vanity, she steals every scene she appears in.
5. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)
In Ballerina, De Armas steps confidently into the bloody world of John Wick. She is no cheap copy of Keanu Reeves, but a character who brings a significant dose of emotion alongside precision and powerful strikes.
4. Blonde (2022)
In Blonde, De Armas does not play Marilyn Monroe as a polished icon, but as a fragile human being slowly swallowed by her own myth. It is a painful, sometimes almost unbearable watch, but that is exactly why her performance lingers so incredibly well.
3. No Time to Die (2021)
She doesn’t need much screen time to completely change the tone of this Bond film. Her role as the sensual yet funny Paloma is brief, but the impact is enormous. After her performance, everyone immediately understood why fans called en masse for a spin-off for this character.
2. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
In a film that feels cold and detached, Ana provides the necessary humanity. As the digital Joi, she doesn’t play a simple hologram, but a character that radiates genuine desire and warmth. The tragedy lies in the details: you feel that her ‘love’ is a programmed illusion, but De Armas makes it so real that it becomes almost painful.
1. Knives Out (2019)
In a house full of ego and poison, Marta Cabrera is the only character with a moral compass. De Armas does not play her as a victim, but as a woman who is terrified and yet does everything to survive. As a viewer, you are unconditionally on her side while the rest of the family fights each other tooth and nail.
