Cuban-born actress Ana de Armas, who is making waves in Hollywood with her versatile roles, made her hosting debut on Saturday Night Live in 2023. Her appearance on the popular show was memorable for several reasons. The actress not only charmed audiences with her wit and charm but also revealed an interesting aspect of her fame: learning English while watching the hit sitcom Friends.
Ana de Armas began her Saturday Night Live monologue by recalling her Cuban roots and greeting the audience in Spanish. She said, “Gracias, gracias.
He mentioned Año incredibile y estoy muy feliz de estar aqui presentando el programa de esta noche, which translates to, “Thank you, thank you. I’ve had an incredible year and I’m so happy to be here tonight hosting the show.”
De Armas spoke in English to thunderous applause from the audience, showing the courage she had to overcome the language barrier when she first came to the United States.
“I speak English,” she said, “but when I first came to America, I didn’t speak English; I was born in Cuba. I came to America when I was 26, and I learned English the same way everybody else who comes to this country learns: by watching Friends.”
De Armas’ candid admission about learning English through television impressed many. She jokingly cited Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, as her English teacher.
He joked, “Who would have thought the best English teacher would be Chandler Bing?” de Armas then imitated Perry’s famous sarcastic tone, saying, “Can I be any better at English than that?”
De Armas also shared a funny story from her early acting career in the US, recalling an audition where she misunderstood the phrase “I beg your pardon.” “I had never heard that phrase before, so I thought the character was literally begging,” she said.
During her monologue, Ana de Armas recalled her early Hollywood mentors. She told a story about Robert De Niro, with whom she collaborated on her first American film, Hands of Stone. During his visit to Cuba, De Niro went out of his way to visit her family, which clearly made an impression on her.
Ana de Armas’ appearance on SNL occurred during a particularly successful period of her career. Just a few months prior, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Blonde, in which she portrayed Marilyn Monroe. During her monologue, de Armas also mentioned that she would be becoming a US citizen in just a few weeks.
De Armas was promoting her latest project, Ghosted, an action-comedy film starring Chris Evans that premieres on Apple TV+ on April 21, 2023, when she made her SNL hosting debut. Additionally, she had just finished filming Ballerina, the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise, signaling her continued rise in Hollywood.
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