Ana de Armas shares tearful Ballerina flamethrower experience: “It was just horrifying”

May 9, 2025 - 4:27 PM IST

Directed by Len Wiseman, Ballerina tells the gripping story of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a highly skilled assassin on a relentless quest for vengeance against those who destroyed her family. Set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, this latest installment delivers the franchise’s signature hard-hitting action, immersive world-building, and jaw-dropping stunts.

Ana de Armas shares tearful Ballerina flamethrower experience: “It was just horrifying”

When Ana de Armas stepped into the John Wick universe to lead the spinoff Ballerina, she anticipated the intense fight choreography that would come with playing an assassin. Her character Eve—an assassin molded by the Ruska Roma—is seen unleashing a flamethrower on a group of henchmen as part of her mission for revenge following her father’s murder.

Director Len Wiseman says that the sequence was “90 percent” practical, and de Armas performed most of the stunts herself. This meant she had to actually operate a flamethrower on set and (safely) set a stunt performer ablaze on camera. The first time she handled the weapon during rehearsal, she was overcome with emotion and began to cry.

"I remember the first day the stunt team was practicing with the fire, and they told me to go do it before the shoot, and I said, 'No, no, no, I'll be fine,'" de Armas shares. Luckily, the stunt team insisted she test it beforehand. "They got the main fire guy that gets burned, and he's all covered in this sticky grease or whatever they put for protection, and they're like, 'Okay, go ahead. Just burn him.' And I did, and I started crying."

Both Wiseman and de Armas described the moment as deeply intense. "It was really emotional," she says. "I've never seen anyone burning, even though it's fake."

Once she had the initial run-through behind her, de Armas was able to film the scene without tears. "Then I was fine," she says. "Then I burned like a hundred people. I'm glad I practiced the day before, and I cried the day before. But it's amazing to see what [the stunt performers] do — I can't believe you guys put yourself through this. It's unbelievable."

Wiseman also admitted he was taken aback by the flamethrower’s sheer force, even in a tightly controlled stunt environment. "I had never actually shot a flamethrower in my life before," he says. "It was just horrifying, actually lighting somebody on fire with a flamethrower, even though they're acting. And it was a long sequence. It was very, very brutal."

While de Armas underwent extensive weapons training ahead of production, learning to control fire proved to be a very different challenge. In addition to the inherent risks, she found the unpredictable movement of the flames both surprising and unsettling.

With PVRINOX Pictures doubling down on its commitment to the Indian audience, Ballerina will roll out in an extensive theatrical release across multiple languages, ensuring fans across the country can experience the spectacle in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Also Read: Ballerina Trailer: Ana de Armas seeks vengeance as new assassin; Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick in new spin-off, watch