Ana de Armas broke down after flamethrower scene in Ballerina

Ana de Armas faced fire—literally—while filming one of the most intense scenes in the upcoming

John Wick spinoff

, Ballerina. However, the scene ended in waterworks with the actress revealing that she broke down in tears the first time she wielded a flamethrower on set.In Ballerina, de Armas stars as Eve Macarro, a deadly assassin trained by the Ruska Roma and driven by vengeance after the murder of her father.

In one pivotal scene, she unleashes a flamethrower on a group of henchmen—an action sequence director Len Wiseman confirmed was “90 percent practical,” with de Armas performing the majority of the stunt work herself.“I remember the first day the stunt team was practising 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 recalled. But when she finally rehearsed the moment, the emotional toll surprised her. “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.”Describing the moment as “really emotional,” she added, “I’ve never seen anyone burning, even though it’s fake.”

Director Wiseman, who had never handled a flamethrower before either, shared her shock. “It was just horrifying, actually lighting somebody on fire with a flamethrower, even though they’re acting,” he said. “And it was a long sequence. It was very, very brutal.”After the emotional rehearsal, de Armas was able to film the final sequence with confidence. “Then I was fine,” she said. “Then I burned like a hundred people. I’m glad I practised the day before, and I cried the day before.”Ballerina is set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, and follows Eve’s high-octane journey of revenge in the signature gritty, stunt-heavy style of the

John Wick

universe. The film also stars Tyler Posey and

Scarlet Rose Stallone

, and is slated for release later this year.The film is slated for a June 6 theatrical release in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.