Adria Arjona on Executive Producing and Starring in A24’s Onslaught

About this episode

Adria Arjona has made a point of choosing roles that resist typecasting. Since joining the Star Wars universe in Andor, she’s showcased her versatility across comedy, drama, and genre, from charming in offbeat romantic comedies like Hit Man and Splitsville to navigating serious subject matter with nuance and humor in Blink Twice and Los Frikis. But in her latest film, 80s-inspired horror-thriller Onslaught from A24 and director Adam Wingard (The Guest, Godzilla vs. Kong), she’s going darker and bloodier than she’s ever gone before. As Celeste, an ex-army sniper and struggling mom managing PTSD, she’s forced to go full “Sarah Connor” to defend her daughter when a group of supersoldiers escape from a government facility and descend on her trailer park.

In this episode, Adria joins Jacqueline Coley to discuss the grueling physical demands of Onslaught and her creative involvement throughout the process as executive producer, and the close bond she formed on set with Blake Kennedy, the young actress who plays her daughter in the film. She also shares stories from her past projects, from her nerve-wracking Andor audition for showrunner Tony Gilroy to developing her Hit Man character’s dialogue with Richard Linklater and Glen Powell, and reflects on the importance of having a seat at the table as she takes on new challenges in every performance.

To watch the movies discussed in this episode and more, head to stream.fandango.com