Ana de Armas After the Oscar Nod: What Really Changed in Hollywood

Ana de Armas is done pretending that an Oscar nomination magically reshapes your career. At the Red Sea Film Festival, she talked candidly about what that Blonde nod did (and didn’t) change, how it felt to be the only one flying the flag for a very controversial film, and why the John Wick spinoff Ballerina is fun but not her whole deal.

The Oscar that didn’t change everything

De Armas says the Academy recognition for Blonde was nice, but it didn’t unlock some secret tier of roles. As she put it at the festival (via Variety), some people still act like her success just kind of happened to her and now she has to prove it wasn’t a one-off.

"Some people feel like it was a fluke, like somehow I did it. There’s still this kind of feeling of having to prove myself again somehow."

For context: she was up for Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars for playing Marilyn Monroe/Norma Jeane in Blonde. Michelle Yeoh won that category for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

'Fun' action gigs aren’t the whole picture

She’s headlining From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and she’s clear those big, punchy action movies are a blast. Also clear: that’s not the only thing she wants to be doing, and not all she has to offer.

A one-woman awards campaign (and why that stung)

De Armas says the nomination didn’t shift what lands on her desk. What did hit differently was realizing she was the only person from Blonde getting awards attention. She felt proud and also kind of stranded, because she believed the film’s team deserved to be up there with her — director Andrew Dominik, hair and makeup, and a bunch of other departments she thinks should have heard their names called.

"I was happy, but it felt kind of lonely in those awards because it was just me representing the film and dealing with all the controversy and the hard questions and topics of the movie. But at the same time, when is that going to happen again? Maybe that’s the one and only time I will ever be in that room, so I really enjoyed that really tiny campaign."

In other words: surreal, small, and a little isolating — but she tried to take it in while it lasted.

Getting cast as Marilyn was an uphill climb

This part is a little wild. Not everyone on the film wanted her as Marilyn. She remembers a meeting with director Andrew Dominik and some producers where the support wasn’t unanimous. She gets why — her words — because a Cuban actress playing Monroe sounded odd to some people. Also, during her first week prepping alone, she says her accent was a mess. Still, she and Dominik pushed through and convinced the team she was right for it. Dominik had been trying to cast Blonde for a decade and, according to her, wasn’t going to do it with anyone else.

How did it feel once she was in it?

"It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever done. It was a beautiful, delicious torture."

The recognition she did get

Even if the Oscar didn’t change the types of offers, Blonde did put her front and center in awards-season chatter. Beyond the Academy nod, she racked up a stack of nominations and a few wins:

• Oscar nomination: Best Actress (2023) for Blonde
• BAFTA and Golden Globes nominations
• Nominations from the Chicago Film Critics Association, London Critics Circle, and Actors Awards
• Wins from the Spanish Actors Union, Capri Actress, EDA Special Mention, IFCS, and NMFC awards

Where this leaves her

Blonde elevated her profile, no question. But if you were expecting the usual fairy-tale career bump after an Oscar nomination, de Armas says that’s not how it played out. She’s still out to prove herself — and also to remind everyone she’s not just the lead in a John Wick spinoff.

If you missed it, Blonde is streaming on Netflix.