Ana de Armas, a Cuban-born actress 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 many reasons. The actress not only wowed the audience with her wit and charm but also revealed an intriguing aspect of her rise to fame: learning English while watching the hit sitcom Friends.
Ana de Armas began her Saturday Night Live monologue by embracing her Cuban roots and greeting the audience in Spanish. She said, “Gracias, gracias.
He tenido un año increíble y estoy muy feliz de estar aquí presentando el programa de esta noche,” which translates to, “Thank you, thank you. I’ve had an incredible year, and I’m very happy to be here hosting the show tonight.”
As the audience cheered, De Armas switched to English, revealing her courage in overcoming the language barrier she faced when she first moved to the United States.
“I speak English,” she stated, “But I didn’t when I first got to the U.S. I was born in Cuba. I came to America when I was 26, and I learned English the way everyone who comes to this country does: by watching Friends.”
De Armas’ candid admission about learning English through television resonated with many people. She humorously credited Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, as her English teacher.
“Who would have thought that the best English tutor would be Chandler Bing?” she joked. De Armas then mimicked Perry’s famous sarcastic tone, saying, “Could I be any better at English?”
De Armas even shared a funny story from her early acting career in America, recalling an audition where she misunderstood the phrase “I beg your pardon.” She stated, “I had never heard that phrase before, so I thought this character was literally begging.”
During her monologue, Ana de Armas acknowledged 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 meet her family, which clearly left an impression on her.
Ana de Armas’ appearance on SNL occurred during a particularly successful period in her career. Just a few months earlier, she had been nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Blonde, where she portrayed Marilyn Monroe. During her monologue, De Armas also mentioned that she was about to become a US citizen in a few weeks.
De Armas was promoting her latest project, Ghosted, an action-comedy film starring Chris Evans, which premiered on Apple TV+ on April 21, 2023, when she made her SNL hosting debut. Additionally, she had just wrapped filming Ballerina, the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise, signaling her continued rise in Hollywood.
