Last week on Saturday Night Live, the beloved and joyful Molly Shannon returned to her old stomping grounds in Studio 8H. The A Good Person and The Other Two star never missed a beat, even reprising two of her recurring characters, Sally O’Malley and Jeannie Tracy, in two hilarious sketches. And last night, Ana de Armas took to the stage to make her hosting debut alongside Karol G.
Ana de Armas opened up about her Hollywood journey that brought her to the SNL stage in her monologue. The 34-year-old actress was born in Cuba and didn’t come to the United States until she was 26. If pursuing an acting career wasn’t difficult enough, she was also learning how to speak English. She, naturally, did this by watching the iconic 1990s series Friends, her first real impression of American culture. Her first acting credit is for the 2006 crime drama Una rosa de Francia, though you likely first started seeing her in the 2010s, when she started appearing in mainstream American films including War Dogs with Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, and Blade Runner 2049 with Jared Leto, Ryan Gosling, and Harrison Ford. By 2019, though, everyone would know her name from Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out, in which she led the way alongside an all-star cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, and Jamie Lee Curtis. This led to her acting in Deep Water with Ben Affleck, and No Time to Die, the final James Bond film for Daniel Craig.
The last few months have been a whirlwind for Ana de Armas. "To me, all I'm doing is working," the Cuban-Spanish actress told Backstage on an episode of In the Envelope: Inside the Actor's Podcast. "The expectation of something changing, or the thought that this dramatic thing in your life is going to happen and now people are going to see you in a different way—very quickly I understood that's just not something I want to look forward to, or pay attention to." She earned her first Oscar nomination for her work as Norma Jeane, more commonly known as Marilyn Monroe, in Blonde, the controversial NC-17 adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel fictionalizing Monroe’s life. Writer-director Andrew Dominik’s film is surely de Armas’ boldest and riskiest project to date, as it has audiences and critics wildly divided. Regardless, the actress now has what is the first of hopefully many Oscar nominations under her belt. And, she’s going to officially become an American citizen in just a few weeks.
Later this month on Apple TV+, she is reuniting with her Knives Out and The Gray Man co-star Chris Evans for Ghosted, a romantic action comedy directed by Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher about a man named Cole who falls for Sadie, who’s actually a secret spy. When Sadie’s cover is blown, she’s forced to take her aloof date along on her dangerous ride. And in case you thought de Armas wasn’t busy enough, she is set to star alongside Keanu Reeves in Ballerina, the John Wick spin-off film also starring Ian McShane, Norman Reedus, and Anjelica Huston.
Let’s revisit some of the best moments from the April 15 episode of Saturday Night Live. Live from New York, it’s Ana de Armas!
5 American Girl Doll Movie Trailer
Everyone is over the moon for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming plastic and fantastic Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Bright colors, sleek clothes, laughs, and endless fun. American Girl Doll is ready to get in on the live-action action with a movie of its own. But is it just me, or does this movie look extremely depressing? The American Girls from different eras come together for some fun… and, tragically, cholera.
4 Lisa from Temecula: Wedding
Lisa is back, and she has already had it up to here. Ego Nwodim’s Lisa from Temecula character that debuted in Pedro Pascal’s episode has returned for another special occasion she was somehow invited to. The last time we were with her, she was aggressively cutting a steak and causing chaos at a restaurant, and now, she’s tossing a salad like you’ve never seen before. And don’t try to get in her box. Just let her toss her salad! Ana de Armas and Bowen Yang have quite the struggle to keep it together, making this entire thing even funnier. Let’s hope that Lisa from Temecula continues coming back and continues being angry.
3 Album Recording Session
Music producer Spicy Fuego (Devon Walker) just wants some sexy cool tags on his beats, so he hires two voice actors (de Armas and Nwodim) to help him out. Unfortunately, despite the repeated attempts at explaining exactly what he was looking for, the actors really struggle with the content. Ana de Armas really goes for it, proving she and Nwodim are a great pair.
2 Please Don’t Destroy: Hangxiety
Guys, did anything weird happen last night, or is it just my hangxiety? The Please Don’t Destroy boys Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall are a little bit overthink-y and stressed about stuff they said and did at one of the SNL after parties. But, like, maybe it’s just their hangxiety getting the best of them? There’s no way that they caused a scene or embarrassed themselves in any way, shape, or form, right? Uh oh, SNL HR is calling… again.
1 Weekend Update: Guru Genesis Fry on Mental Health
Sarah Sherman slid over to Colin Jost at the Weekend Update desk as Guru Genesis Fry, adding yet another reason why Sherman and Jost are one of the best TV duos. With more of an open discussion and less stigma on the topic of mental health come people who think they know what they are talking about with mental health. This is where Sarah Sherman’s guru Genesis Fry comes in. She has crazy hair, a lot of blue eye shadow, and deep breaths to relax you. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Weekend Update appearance by Sherman if she didn’t manage to harass Jost and claim how he is a pompous, out-of-touch, egotistical menace. Relax! Relax your arms!
On May 6, SNL alum Pete Davidson returns to Studio 8H to make his hosting debut.