Cruise Hails Ana de Armas’ ‘Ballerina’ Turn as Romance Rumors Heat Up

Oh, wonderful—yet another high-profile Hollywood hype cycle for your reading pleasure. It seems Tom Cruise can’t stop raving about Ana de Armas’ performance in the upcoming John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, and, of course, the rumor mill is already churning out romantic headlines. According to New York Post insiders and corroborated by People magazine’s set visit notes, Cruise lauded de Armas this week at a Los Angeles press junket, praising her “precision in those stunt-driven dance sequences” and calling her a “force of nature” (People, May 2024). I told you so: big celebs praise co-stars, tabloids swoon, romance gossip explodes.

Look, I don’t want to be the one to say it, but here we are—round two of “Will they or won’t they?” Cruising through Entertainment Tonight’s coverage, sources reported that Cruise lingered on how de Armas “owns every fight choreo beat like she’s been training for a decade,” adding that her on-camera chemistry with co-lead Ana de Armas (that’s right, double Ana for confusion!) was “electric” (Entertainment Tonight, June 2024). Cue the Twitter speculation: are these two secretly dating, or is it just good PR fuel?

Let’s break down the obvious: Cruise has a history of championing his co-stars—just look at Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow. So praising de Armas isn’t exactly groundbreaking. But gossip hounds love a juicy angle, so every murmur of “insider” flirtations gets amplified. New York Post gossip columnists even point to a “late-night ride” from the set as supposed proof, despite neither camp confirming anything beyond professional admiration.

Here’s what matters if you’re actually interested in the film: Ballerina, directed by Len Wiseman and slated for a September 2024 release, follows de Armas as a deadly ballet-trained assassin seeking vengeance. Cruise’s endorsement could give her a marketing boost—no small feat in franchise warfare. Variety’s box-office analysts predict a strong opening weekend, partly thanks to Cruise’s star power and de Armas’ soaring popularity after Knock at the Cabin.

So, yes, Cruise said nice things, tabloids spilled the tea, and social feeds exploded with romance conjecture. But let’s not pretend this is anything new: actors praise each other, rumors run wild, and studios lap it up for free publicity. Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And just in case you’re hoping for clarity, don’t hold your breath—neither rep has confirmed a romance, which means this saga will keep churning until they actually share an Instagram snapshot or we all move on to the next thing. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, People magazine, Entertainment Tonight
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed