Jamie Lee Curtis first met actress Ana de Armas when they worked together in Rian Johnson’s 2019 whodunit Knives Out. At the time, Armas was already shaping up to be a big star, having worked on several films alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. However, Curtis, being unfamiliar with her work, assumed that Armas was “inexperienced”.

A new profile on Elle has highlighted Armas short, but significant career up to this point. In the piece, Armas is interviewed alongside a few of her collaborators, including Curtis and Chris Evans. At the time of filming Knives Out, Armas had already appeared in three major Hollywood films: Eli Roth's Knock Knock, Todd Philips' War Dogs, and Ridley Scott's Blade Runner 2049.

However, it was her role as the unassuming nurse to Christopher Plummer's Harlan Thrombey in Knives Out that attracted national attention. In the profile, Curtis readily admits her preconceived notions upon meeting Armas on the set of that film: “I assumed—and I say this with real embarrassment—because she had come from Cuba, that she had just arrived. I made an assumption that she was an inexperienced, unsophisticated young woman. That first day, I was like, ‘Oh, what are your dreams?’ Curtis went on to say that Armas "is not as fancy as maybe the advertisements would have you believe. She leans in, interested; talking to her is kind of give-and-take. She’s curious and asks a lot of questions.”

Marilyn Monroe looking up with a confused expression on her face in Blonde.
Image via Netflix

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Armas was most recently seen in 2021's James Bond film No Time to Die and Hulu's Deep Water. Armas next appears in Anthony and Joe Russo's The Gray Man, which will have a limited theatrical release on July 15, before being available to stream on Netflix on July 22. Starring Evans and Ryan Gosling, the film is currently Netflix's most expensive film to date. Before making the jump to Los Angeles at age 26, Armas had a short career doing Cuban films and eight years taking television roles in Spain.

One of Armas' next big roles will be as Marilyn Monroe in the much-anticipated Blonde. Directed by Andrew Dominik, the film will see Monroe's career and personal life as a psychological drama. Armas showed Curtis a picture of herself in costume as Monroe, who said "it was so shocking because she was Marilyn.” Curtis has ties to Monroe, with her father Tony Curtis working alongside her in 1959's Some Like It Hot. You can watch the trailer for Blonde below: