Ana de Armas described Chandler Bing as “the best English tutor” as she looked back on her move to the U.S. and gave a shoutout to her father during her “Saturday Night Live” monologue on Saturday.
The Oscar-nominated “Blonde” and “No Time to Die” star kicked off her monologue with a message in Spanish before recalling how she didn’t know English prior to her move from Cuba to the U.S.
“I was 26 and I learned English the way everyone who comes to this country does — by watching ‘Friends,’” she quipped.
“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?”
De Armas later reflected on her difficulties as an actor learning English before she joked about her time at a “How To Audition” class, which she referred to as a “scam.”
“There was this line ‘I beg your pardon’ but I had never seen or heard that phrase so I thought this character was literally begging,” she explained.
“So when I did the line, I said, ‘I beg your pardon, give it to me.’”
De Armas, who touched on her “magical year” including her anticipation over becoming a U.S. citizen in three weeks, went on to describe how her “Hands of Stone” co-star Robert de Niro visited her father at work in Cuba.
“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,” de Armas said.