Los Angeles: Ana de Armas who is prohected as one of the next-gen stars of Hollywood, has said she had initially rejected Rian Johnson’s upcoming flick Knives Out as the character description she received from the makers mentioned her part as a pretty Latina caretaker.
The Blade Runner 2049 star told ‘The Hollywood Reporter’ that the character sketch put her off and she felt it might not do justice to the Latin community.
“Getting an email that described the character like that — without any more information or a script attached because it was high-profile and secret – just really didn’t speak to me,” Armas was quoted as saying.
“So, because of the character description, my imagination immediately went to a portrayal that was not necessarily very positive or exciting in relation to Latin culture,” added Armas.
Things, however, changed after she finally read the script. “So, when I finally read the script, I realised that the description didn’t fit at all because Marta is so much more than that,” Armas pointed out.
The 31-year-old actor, who is set feature opposite her ‘Knives Out’ co-star Daniel Craig in the next James Bond installment, said she is proud of her Cuban heritage and isn’t afraid to represent it on-screen, given the character treatment is right.
“I’m very proud to be Cuban and a Latina and always will be. It’s just that we have more to offer than only playing maids or prostitutes. I don’t want to play into that game because I want to represent my culture in a more positive way,” asserted Armas.
“We have a lot more to offer. Maybe at the beginning of my career, I was getting more auditions or opportunities for those roles, but it hasn’t been like that lately,” she added.
Armas said since her Hollywood debut with the 2015 film Knock Knock, she stayed committed to her pursuit of finding ‘positive roles’, something that has started to ‘pay off’ now.
“Now, I’m actually finding roles that I want to play – not necessarily Latinas either. I’m an actor, and I will play a Latina forever, but I also want to play anybody because that’s my job. So, I don’t want anybody conditioning me or telling me that there’s a limit because I’m not from here or from there. So, I like to prove them wrong,” the actor added.
Knives Out released worldwide Friday.
Agencies