Ana de Armas, known for her captivating roles in films like Knives Out and No Time to Die, has revealed how a particularly intense action scene on the set of Ballerina, the first John Wick spin-off, brought her to tears.
In the highly anticipated movie, de Armas plays Eve, a deadly assassin trained by the Ruska Roma, who seeks vengeance for the murder of her father. One of the film’s most harrowing scenes sees her character wielding a flamethrower to exact revenge on those responsible. What seemed like another action-packed sequence quickly turned into an emotional challenge for de Armas, both physically and mentally.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress shared how she was caught off guard by the emotional intensity of working with such a powerful weapon. “The first day the stunt team practiced with the fire, I was asked to try it before filming the scene. I said, ‘No, no, no, I’ll be fine,’” she explained. However, when she finally got behind the flamethrower, it was overwhelming. “They had the main fire guy, covered in grease for protection, and said, ‘Okay, go ahead. Just burn him.’ I did, and I started crying.”
The moment was intense for de Armas, who had never seen anyone “burning,” even though the fire effects were all staged. “It was really emotional,” she recalled. “I’ve never seen anyone burning, even though it’s fake.” Despite her initial emotional reaction, she quickly regrouped and continued shooting, saying, “Then I was fine.”
Director Len Wiseman described the scene as both horrifying and brutal, acknowledging the physical and emotional toll it took on everyone involved. “It was horrifying, actually lighting somebody on fire with a flamethrower, even though they’re acting. And it was a long sequence. It was very, very brutal,” Wiseman shared.
De Armas also highlighted the unique challenges of working with a flamethrower compared to other weapons. “It’s not like a gun where if you move your aim, the shot follows. The fire has a little delay, especially at that length. The fire shoots out really far, and it kicks back,” she explained. To protect herself, special precautions were taken with her hair and lashes, ensuring she didn’t suffer any burns.
Despite the risks, de Armas and the stunt team pulled off the scene with utmost care, turning it into one of the film’s standout moments. “The fire scene was risky, but we did it. It was all done the right way, and everyone was super careful,” de Armas said. “And it turned out to be an amazing experience.”
The actress’s candid reflection on the emotional toll of the stunt is a reminder of the intense preparation and personal sacrifice involved in bringing such action scenes to life. With Ballerina poised to continue the John Wick legacy, fans can look forward to seeing de Armas deliver a performance that is as emotionally compelling as it is action-packed.
