Ana de Armas Accepts Action Star of the Year at CinemaCon, Pays Tribute to Keanu Reeves

The Ballerina star recalls her early days in Hollywood and a hilarious first meeting with Reeves, calling him the true heartbeat of the John Wick universe.

Las Vegas, April 4:
Oscar-nominated actor Ana de Armas lit up the stage at Caesars Palace’s Colosseum on Thursday night as she accepted the CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award—and took the opportunity to pay heartfelt tribute to a fellow action icon: Keanu Reeves.

De Armas, who was in Las Vegas to promote her upcoming film Ballerina, a spin-off from the John Wick franchise, reflected on her journey and how Reeves played a key role early in her Hollywood career.

“I met him when I barely spoke English after moving to L.A. 10 years ago,” she shared, recalling their first interaction during a lunch meeting in Santiago de Chile with the filmmakers of Knock Knock (2015), their first film together.

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😳 ‘La Matrix?’ A Lost-in-Translation Moment

During that meeting, the group began discussing Reeves’ legendary career, particularly his role in The Matrix. When Reeves asked de Armas if she had seen the movie, her response turned into a moment of comic embarrassment.

“I was like, ‘The Matrix? No,’” she recalled, drawing gasps from everyone at the table. “Someone leaned in and told me in Spanish, ‘You haven’t seen La Matrix?’ And I was like, ‘Ohhh, La Matrix! Yeah, I’ve seen that one!’ That will never not be embarrassing.”

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🎥 ‘John Wick’ Energy: A Front Row Seat to Greatness

De Armas also recalled how Reeves, in a spontaneous moment, reenacted a full action sequence from the first John Wick movie — specifically, the famous bathhouse scene.

“He remembered how he killed every single man in that scene, and he did it for us. I was just staring at him—he was so happy and excited about the film he had just done. It got me so excited, too.”

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🏆 Full Circle with Ballerina

Now, a decade later, de Armas finds herself leading her own action film. Directed by Len Wiseman, Ballerina is a highly anticipated spin-off in the John Wick universe, and features Reeves returning as John Wick in a supporting role.

“There wouldn’t be Ballerina without John Wick, and for sure there wouldn’t be John Wick without Keanu Reeves,” de Armas told the crowd, crediting him for paving the way.

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🎞️ Background: Ana de Armas in Action

• Breakout role in Knock Knock (2015) with Keanu Reeves
• Oscar-nominated for Blonde
• Stars in upcoming John Wick spin-off Ballerina (2025 release expected)
• Awarded Action Star of the Year at 2025 CinemaCon’s Big Screen Achievement Awards