How Ana de Armas learned English by watching ‘Friends’: ‘My dad was so proud’

Ana de Armas shared a very relatable anecdote during her recent monologue on Saturday Night Live. The Cuban-Spanish actress, who has recently found tremendous success in Hollywood, revealed that she learned English by watching the popular show Friends, after arriving in the U.S. from Cuba.

“I was born in Cuba, came to America when I was 26, and I learned English the way everyone who comes to this country does: by watching Friends,” she said, referencing a line from the show. “Who would have thought that the best English tutor would be Chandler Bing? I mean, look at me now. Could I be any better at English?”

Ana also shared some incredible news, revealing that she will be becoming an American citizen in three weeks and she is very excited and proud of how far she has come.

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“I am proud to become an American citizen because when I moved here, everyone was so welcoming,” she said. Ana also explained that after becoming fast friends with Robert De Niro on the set of the 2016 film Hands of Stone, he visited her parents in Cuba.

“One day on set he told me, ‘I may be going to Cuba soon. If I do, I’ll say hello to your family,’” she said. “Then one day, out of the blue, I get a phone call from my dad. He’s hysterical. I’m like, ‘Dad, what’s wrong?’ And he goes, ‘Robert De Niro just came to visit me at work.’”

“My dad was so proud of me, and he would be proud to see me today standing on this stage. I feel very lucky to be here,” she concluded.