Adria Arjona Talks Onslaught, Man of Tomorrow, Andor

Adria Arjona’s profession is all gasoline and no brakes — apart from when she was driving her truck close to the set of Onslaught. 

The in-demand actor is at the moment juggling a bevy of tasks, together with the aforementioned gonzo horror-thriller from Adam Wingard, a top-secret function in James Gunn’s Superman (2025) follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, and Michael B. Jordan’s The Thomas Crown Affair. Arjona additionally has a number of indie movies in numerous phases of manufacturing, and her feminine lead function in Ed Brubaker’s Criminal sequence, based mostly on his personal Marvel/Image comedian ebook, is lastly nearing launch.

When Arjona first met with Wingard to debate Onslaught and her character, Celeste, a traumatized former Army sniper, she arrived in a 1979 Ford F-150. She suspects the truck could have helped her clinch the function, as Wingard had already envisioned Celeste driving one thing related. After touchdown the half, Arjona even tried to get her real-life truck into the film, however its vibrant orange paint job created some lighting challenges.

Arjona nonetheless drove her pickup to the New Mexico set, and there have been days when the transportation division needed to come to her rescue.

“I would get stuck in the middle of the highway. It’s a shitty truck. I bought it on cars.com. I shouldn’t have. It was so cheap, and now half of my bank account has gone toward trying to fix this truck,” Arjona tells The Hollywood Reporter in help of Onslaught’s Sept. 4 theatrical launch.. “It finally runs, but when I was filming this movie, it didn’t. So the transport department had to come pick me up in the middle of a highway a couple times so I wouldn’t be late to set.”

Celeste’s PTSD has pushed her into isolation at a distant trailer park, removed from her seven-year-old daughter, Daisy (Blake Kennedy). But when a piece emergency forces Daisy’s father and Celeste’s ex-husband (Jacob Scipio) to drop her off unexpectedly, their reunion coincides with a close-by army experiment going catastrophically awry. Suddenly, Celeste should shield her daughter from three tremendous troopers who’re programmed to kill anybody of their path.

When hassle first arrives on the Windy Oasis cell house group, Celeste goes to retrieve one of her assorted weapons. This results in the second within the trailer when she spins a handgun’s cylinder in entrance of her cupboard or rack of weapons.

“That shot [of her spinning the gun cylinder in front of her arsenal] was one of the hardest shots I’ve had to do. I had to nail it in maybe three takes because we were running out of time,” Arjona recollects. “On the first take, the entire armory fell on top of me. It was a trailer packed with so many people. If somebody moves, everything moves. Adam probably still has the footage. We were like, ‘Fuck! Shit! Put it back.’ We then had time for one last shot, and [prop master/armorer] Brett [Andrews] was like, ‘Breathe, focus, you got it.’ And that’s the take that’s in the trailer.”

Next summer time, Arjona will seem as a thriller character in Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow. Consequently, many followers are questioning who she’s enjoying, forcing her to decide on her phrases very fastidiously all through Onslaught’s promotional marketing campaign. In any occasion, Arjona felt proper at house on set, significantly given her historical past with DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, who produced her first movie, The Belko Experiment (2016), a decade in the past.

“Man, it was so cool. It’s just so easy to step back onto a set with people that you feel familiar with because there’s already trust. That’s how I felt coming [onto the Man of Tomorrow set] and stepping into this role,” Arjona shares. “James Gunn and Peter Safran were right there, and I had all the trust. I have all the support. I was like, I’m good because they’ve got me.”

As for Andor, the Emmy-winning sequence left Arjona’s Bix Caleen ready the place additional adventures might be explored involving her and her youngster (Cassian Jr.? Cassie?) with Cassian Andor (Diego Luna). Arjona isn’t ruling out the chance, however she’s additionally hesitant to do something with out sequence creator Tony Gilroy.

“Listen, I am the most loyal Gilroy there is. If Tony Gilroy is in, I’m right there with him,” Arjona says. “I respect so much what he’s created, and I love him so dearly that I don’t want to put my fingerprints on it. It might be too soon. I don’t want to say never, but I love the way he ended that show. I respect it, so I want to keep it like that for now.”

Prior to Andor season two, Arjona collaborated with Richard Linklater and Glen Powell on the romantic crime comedy, Hit Man, and he or she was closely, but unofficially, concerned within the scripting course of. For instance, she not solely wrote the movie’s most memorable line of, “Who the fuck is Gary!?” however she additionally typed it into Linklater’s pc per his insistence. Riding excessive on that have, Arjona acquired a a lot totally different response when she tried to pitch Gilroy some Bix materials for Andor’s second go-round.

“I did call Tony with a bunch of ideas, and he was like, ‘No, no, no. Not this movie, baby.’ And I was like, ‘Damnit. Okay,’” Arjona says. “I was feeling very confident in my writing, but not with Tony Gilroy.”

Below, throughout a dialog with THR, Arjona additionally reveals the Onslaught character element she brainstormed together with her companion Jason Momoa. 

***

Onslaught got here your method as you had been capturing Criminal and about to go shoot Splitsville a pair years in the past. Considering Celeste isn’t any stroll within the park, what was your mindset on the time? 

Right earlier than I went to go meet [director] Adam Wingard, I used to be like, “I don’t know if I can do this one. This is going to be tough.” Celeste is such a multi-layered character, and I used to be drained. I used to be a drained lady. Going from a heist present like Criminal and a comedy like Splitsville to this world, I used to be like, “Oh man.” 

But inside half-hour of assembly Adam, I used to be like, I’m in. I need to do it. It must be mine. I’m obsessive about this dude. I’m obsessive about this script. He pitched me the opening 25 minutes of the movie, and I used to be like, “That sounds bonkers. It sounds like the coolest movie ever.” He already had quite a bit of the ‘80s-inspired soundtrack as nicely, and it simply looks like a John Carpenter film. 

I like passionate administrators who take swings, and I used to be like, “I want to support you. I want to go into the trenches with you. Let’s go.” So there was no turning again after that, and I’m so completely satisfied I did it. I’m so honored.

Onslaught is an oblique sequel to You’re Next and The Guest. It completes a religious trilogy. Did Adam ask you to observe these movies for a tonal reference? Or did he need you to dig extra into the ‘80s? 

Adam has no ego by any means, so he would by no means inform me to observe his personal motion pictures. He’d be like, “Just stick to the script. Let’s focus on this one.” But he did make me watch some ‘80s motion pictures: Aliens and Terminator. 

Funnily sufficient, our primary factor was music. We shared quite a bit of it. He had some songs which are all in German, and a few selections for the opening sequence are simply wild as a result of it makes you query tonally the place he’s going with the film. It will be actually humorous at instances, after which out of the blue, there’s heavy motion. It’ll be actually gory, and also you’ll be scared shitless, earlier than it swings proper again into comedy. So the songs he shared helped me perceive the place we had been residing, tonally.

Celeste’s relationship together with her lovely seven-year-old daughter (Blake Kennedy’s Daisy) is moderately fascinating. Daisy behaves extra like a grown-up than Celeste does. She’s extremely organized together with her rolling suitcase. She additionally does the dishes, waters the crops and has correct manners. It’s Celeste who behaves extra just like the messy child, and he or she tries to show her daughter to observe swimsuit. How did you and Adam land on that reversal? 

It was a dialog Adam and I had at first. We had been each so drained of seeing the proper mother, and we each needed to deconstruct that a little bit bit. It meant discovering a method for Celeste to have a little bit bit extra powerful love. She’s like, “Dude, don’t waste your time on manners. There’s so much shit going on in the world. What are we doing?” She’s a vet; she doesn’t have time for that. Every time she feels one thing, she simply pushes it down. But her ex is educating their daughter to precise her emotions and meditate. That’s not Celeste, and it doesn’t imply she’s a nasty mom. But as a result of we made these selections at first, Onslaught actually turns into a mom’s redemption story.

Did you give you a backstory for what occurred between Daisy’s father and Celeste? Did her PTSD simply make it unimaginable for her to guide a home life with them?

Yeah, she misplaced a pair mates [during battle], and it traumatized her. To all people else, Celeste is that this bizarre conspiracy theorist who lives on this trailer park. She isolates herself as a result of all people thinks that she’s loopy, and on the finish of the day, she was proper.

As you talked about, Celeste is shell-shocked from her time as an Army sniper. Her PTSD impacts her potential to tug the set off generally, and so she grounds herself by digging her ring into her forearm. What did you make of that trauma response or launch valve? 

That was my thought.

I figured it was.

Really? 

I used to be the primary journalist you informed concerning the stick-and-poke tattoo you acquired on the set of Andor season two …

That’s true.

So I seemingly related one type of pores and skin trauma to a different.

(Laughs.) Her tremor was within the script, and I used to be like, There must be a launch. There must be one thing that counteracts it. What is it? I used to be really discussing it with my companion [Jason Momoa], and we each got here up with this concept. I then informed Adam: “Yo, what do you think if we have this scab on her forearm? You can tell she’s been doing this for a long time.” And then, to be humorous, I used to be like, “Can the ring be her old engagement ring and can it be empty?” That would imply she pawned the diamond and purchased a rifle or a bunch of beer or one thing. So that’s how she inflicts ache on herself, and it’s the one feeling she’s snug experiencing.

I watched quite a bit of interviews of vets and troopers who’ve gone on deployment, and [pain] is type of their consolation. It’s the place they really feel relaxed. That stayed with me, and it actually traumatized me. I used to be like, Man, that’s horrible. We have to showcase that ache is a giant character. So I informed Adam all of that, and he checked out me and mentioned, “You’re insane. Let’s try it.” And inside two hours, he had a prosthetic made for us to check out.

I learn one thing that prompt Celeste’s truck is definitely your truck. Is that true? 

Funnily sufficient, I drive a [1979] Ford F-150, and to be honest, I feel that’s why Adam gave me the function. I drove it to our first assembly, and he was like, “Is that your truck? That’s what Celeste drives.” And I used to be like, “Oh, I’m like Celeste.” So that could be one of the the explanation why he forged me.

I then introduced my vibrant orange truck to New Mexico the place we filmed, and nobody needs to see a vibrant orange truck in a film. Our cinematographer [Oren Soffer] was like, “That’s going to be hard to pull off.” So it ended up not being my truck within the film, however I did have my truck on set. 

It grew to become a complete factor with transport as a result of I might get caught within the center of the freeway. It’s a shitty truck. I purchased it on automobiles.com. I shouldn’t have. It was so low-cost, and now half of my checking account has gone towards attempting to repair this truck. It lastly runs, however after I was filming this film, it didn’t. So the transport division needed to come choose me up within the center of a freeway a pair instances so I wouldn’t be late to set.

We’re launched to Celeste’s arsenal of weapons at the beginning of the film, and Chekhov’s gun makes us assume she’s going to wield all of them in some unspecified time in the future, particularly the one her ex referenced. But then the film places her on her again foot the entire time and challenges her to defend her and her daughter in different methods. 

Yeah, when you see her arsenal, you’re like, Oh, she’s going to save lots of the day. But I like the truth that Reggie [VelJohnson] and Eric’s [Wareheim] characters have an opportunity to redeem themselves as neighbors within the course of. Celeste kicks some ass, for certain, however she has assist as nicely. That was the entire level of her not getting to make use of her arsenal, which I feel was actually good. 

That shot [of her spinning the gun cylinder in front of her arsenal] was one of the toughest photographs I’ve needed to do. I needed to nail it in possibly three takes as a result of we had been working out of time. And Brett Andrews, our armorer and prop grasp, is the explanation I look cool on this film. He got here into my trailer [to teach me that move], and I practiced it nonstop the entire day. We knew we didn’t have that a lot time for that shot, and it’s so close-up that any tiny little mistake was going to point out. 

On the primary take, your complete armory fell on prime of me. It was a trailer filled with so many individuals. If any person strikes, every thing strikes. Adam in all probability nonetheless has the footage, however the entire thing simply fell on prime of me. We had been like, “Fuck! Shit! Put it back.” We then had time for one final shot, and Brett was like, “Breathe, focus, you got it.” And that’s the take that’s within the trailer.

So that is the half of the interview the place the publicists within the gallery begin biting their nails …

(Laughs.)

To play it protected, how was your reunion with James Gunn on the set of Man of Tomorrow? [Gunn wrote and produced her first movie, The Belko Experiment.]

Man, it was so cool. I haven’t had the chance to do sequels to quite a bit of issues. Andor was the primary time that I did a second season of one thing, and it felt so protected. So I perceive why folks [in franchises] are like, “Oh my God, we’ve been together for ten years.” It’s simply really easy to step again onto a set with folks that you simply really feel aware of as a result of there’s already belief. You’re not attempting to realize something on that first day. 

So that’s how I felt coming [onto the Man of Tomorrow set] and getting into this function. James Gunn and [co-DC Studios head] Peter Safran had been proper there, and I had all of the belief. I’ve all of the help. I used to be like, I’m good as a result of they’ve received me. I’ve solely felt that when earlier than on the second season of Andor, and it’s an ideal feeling as a result of the primary days on set are at all times scary.

Now that you simply’re one of essentially the most employed actors on the town, have you ever pitched a Bix and Cassian Jr./Cassie present to Lucasfilm but? 

Listen, I’m essentially the most loyal Gilroy there may be. If Tony Gilroy is in, I’m proper there with him. I respect a lot what he’s created, and I like him so dearly that I don’t need to put my fingerprints on it. It could be too quickly. I don’t need to say by no means, however I like the way in which he ended that present. I respect it, so I need to preserve it like that for now.

Earlier this yr, Tony and I had a protracted conversation wherein he welcomed my one quibble with season two. I needed to see Bix go on a correct mission with Cassian (Diego Luna). When he went undercover on Ghorman as a clothier named Varian Skye, she might’ve served as his muse or mannequin. To see them each sporting excessive trend for a change, I simply can’t get that picture out of my head. Anyway, had been you pissed off in any respect that Bix’s missions had been principally off display screen?

No, as a result of Tony challenged me otherwise. He as an alternative gave me intervals of time in Bix’s life to leap into that had been very advanced and complex. I knew that I used to be capable of play an motion piece, however these emotional beats had been actually robust for Bix and actually difficult for me. So I wasn’t essentially pissed off as a result of I respect Tony’s writing. I used to be like, Hmm. Okay, cool. There’s a cause and a rhythm to the way in which that he writes. 

I by no means need to get in Gilroy’s method, although I [pitched him some ideas] after writing the Hit Man script with Richard Linklater and Glen Powell. All three of us collaborated collectively. So I did name Tony with a bunch of concepts, and he was like, “No, no, no. Not this movie, baby.” And I used to be like, “Damnit. Okay.”

Yeah, you actually wrote Hit Man’s show-stopping “Who the fuck is Gary!?” line, so it sounds such as you had been feeling your self after that. 

(Laughs.) Yes, I used to be feeling very assured in my writing, however not with Tony Gilroy.

***
Onslaught opens September 4 in film theaters nationwide.