FRA_GG_N45-WEB

STARS
– & WINE –
Ana de Armas:
“My first glass of wine
was a Rioja”
Four years ago, nobody had heard of her, except in Spain where her career began.
Now, she is on the cover of the leading women’s magazines across the globe.
After achieving international success with the films ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘Knives Out’,
she was chosen to play a James Bond girl in ‘No Time To Die’, and will also star in the
torrid erotic thriller ‘Deep Water’. Her name? Ana. Ana de Armas. She’s 31 years old,
Cuban-Spanish and you haven’t heard the last of her!
Interview by Frank Rousseau, our correspondent in the United States
Photographs: all rights reserved
Ana de Armas with Frank Rousseau
When was the first time you took a sip of this
wonderful beverage we call wine?
Before I was 18, I lived in Cuba. There were no luxuries,
but that didn’t stop me from dreaming of a better
future. The problem was that we didn’t have much
access to the outside world. When I was 18, I was able to
leave for Spain. My maternal grandparents were Spanish
citizens, so I was able to obtain a European passport. I
moved to Madrid to pursue my acting career. I started
in a series called ‘El Internado’ and I left Cuba and its
hardships behind! Though I love my country and my
people deeply! Anyway, once in Spain, I was able to
eat things I enjoyed eating. Most importantly, there was
variety. One day, a group of friends took me to a tapas
bar. That’s where I had my first glass of wine. It was a
Rioja you served yourself from a large oak barrel. It was
great fun! Since then, not a day goes by without me
enjoying some wine.
What kind of wine?
I don’t drink fine wines every day. Sometimes it can be a
simple table wine. I keep an open mind when someone
112 AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE