Ana de Armas Monologue - SNL

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ANA DE ARMAS! THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IT'S A JOKE. I SPEAK ENGLISH. BUT I DID NOT WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THE UNITED STATES. I WAS BORN IN CUBA, I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES WHEN I WAS 26 YEARS OLD AND LEARNED ENGLISH LIKE EVERYONE WHO COMES TO THIS COUNTRY DOES, SEE "FRIENDS". WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE BEST ENGLISH TUTOR WOULD HAVE BEEN CHANDLER BING. LOOK AT ME NOW, COULD IT BE BETTER IN ENGLISH? Acting here was difficult at first because she didn't always understand what she was saying. THEN I MET A GUY WHO HAD A CLASS CALLED HOW TO AUDITION, WHICH WAS DEFINITELY A SCAM.

HE MADE ME READ A SCENE, AND THERE WAS THIS LINE, I AM FORGIVENESS. BUT I HAD NEVER SEEN OR HEARD THAT PHRASE, SO I THOUGHT THIS CHARACTER WAS LITERALLY BEGGING. SO WHEN I DID THE LINE I SAID, I AM SORRY! GIVE IT TO ME! THEN SOMEONE IN THE CLASS READ THE LINE AND I WAS LIKE, OH CAN I TRY AGAIN? THIS HAS BEEN A MAGICAL YEAR. NOT ONLY WAS I NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR, BUT IN THREE WEEKS I WILL OFFICIALLY BECOME A UNITED STATES CITIZEN. I AM PROUD TO BECOME A CITIZEN BECAUSE WHEN I MOVED HERE EVERYONE WAS VERY WELCOME.

WHEN I MADE MY FIRST FILM IN THE UNITED STATES, CALLED HANDS OF STONE, I WAS WORKING WITH ROBERT DE NIRO, AND ONE DAY ON THE SET, HE SAYS HE WOULD BE GOING TO CUBA SOON, AND IF I DO, I'LL SAY HELLO TO YOUR FAMILY. I ASKED FOR YOUR PHONE NUMBER. I COMPLETELY FORGOT AND ONE DAY I RECEIVE A CALL FROM MY DAD, HE IS HYSTERIC, AND I GO, DAD, WHAT'S UP, AND HE LEAVES, ROBERT DE NIRO JUST VISITED ME AT WORK. THAT WAS SUCH A KIND GESTURE, AND I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO WORK WITH SO MANY WONDERFUL ACTORS.

MY DAD WAS SO PROUD OF ME, AND HE WOULD BE PROUD TO SEE ME STANDING ON THIS STAGE TODAY. I FEEL VERY LUCKY TO BE HERE. I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME MY NAME WAS ON THE WORD IN NEW YORK CROSS. THEY ALL SENT ME MESSAGES AND SAID THEY MADE IT. AND I THOUGHT I DID IT. BUT THEN, A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, SNL CALLED ME AND SAID: ANA, WE WANT YOU TO HOST. AND I WAS SO SHOCKED AND EXCITED THAT ALL I COULD SAY WAS - SORRY! TONIGHT WE HAVE A GREAT SHOW FOR YOU. KAROL G IS HERE.

STAY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.