Adria Arjona on ‘Blink Twice,’ Her Showstopping ‘Hit Man’ Line and ‘Andor’ Season 2: “It’s So Much Better”
Blink Twice star Adria Arjona has the wind at her back.
After her powerful turn as Bix Caleen on season one of the Emmy-nominated Andor, she followed it up with a scene-sealing performance in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, which included Arjona’s contender for line delivery of the year. (More on that later.) She’s also starring in the upcoming Los Frikis, Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson’s follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2019 film, The Peanut Butter Falcon. And with Andor season two already in the can, Arjona is currently filming yet another highly anticipated series in Criminal, which Ed Brubaker and Jordan Harper adapted from Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ comic book series of the same name. (Co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are helming the Amazon Prime series, which counts Charlie Hunnam, Richard Jenkins, Arjona, Emilia Clarke and Luke Evans as series regulars.)
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In the meantime, Arjona returns to the big screen next Friday in Zo? Kravitz’s well-received directorial debut, Blink Twice. She plays a former Survivor contestant named Sarah, who’s a part of a group of women that accept an invitation to the private island getaway of tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum). The latter has just re-emerged following his “cancellation,” and the psychological thriller explores what happens when the wrong lessons are learned from the #MeToo movement.
Arjona’s Sarah initially brings her competitive reality-show mindset to the proceeding, but she soon realizes that she’s going to have to support her fellow female guests, including Naomi Ackie’s Frida, if she’s going to make it out of this chilling situation. Arjona admits that she had a tough time playing the more cutthroat version of Sarah in the first act.
“I remember Zo? was like, ‘Adria, you’ve got to be bitchier.’ And I was like, ‘That’s as bitchy as I get!’ And she was like, ‘You’ve got to go bitchier,’” Arjona tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Then I would go again, and she’d be like, ‘Okay, that was better, but more.’ And I was like, ‘More!?’ So that was a big challenge for me in the introduction of the character, and we just laughed about it.”
Kravitz also didn’t strike Arjona as a first-time director given her adaptive directing style.
“She shapeshifted her direction and gave all of us a different style of attention,” Arjona says. “She clocked it really quick: ‘Oh, Adria works like this, or this resonates with Adria, and this resonates with Naomi [Ackie].’ So I thought that was really smart and empathetic of her.”
After the rapturous response to Andor season one, season two has inevitably become one of Lucasfilm’s most anticipated projects in the Disney era, and while Arjona herself was skeptical that creator Tony Gilroy could top himself, she’s delighted to report that he’s done exactly that.
“Oh man, when I read season one, I pinched myself, and when I started reading season two, I was like, ‘[Tony Gilroy] can’t outdo [season one].’ I was again like, ‘It’s not going to be as good.’ But it’s fucking better. It’s so much better. It is,” Arjona insists. “What he has crafted and created is mind-blowing, and I can’t believe I got to be a part of it. He’s so talented, and he really outdid himself for season two.”
If you’re one of the many Netflix subscribers who pressed play on Richard Linklater’s twisted romcom Hit Man, you undoubtedly reacted to Arjona’s defining moment opposite Glen Powell’s faux hitman character. When he finally reveals the truth to Arjona’s Madison that he’s not a smooth assassin named Ron and that he’s just a guy named Gary, Arjona, as Madison, responds with the line read of the movie: “Who the fuck is Gary!?” Those five words have since been highlighted by Netflix’s marketing efforts for the film, and what makes it all the more interesting is that the line was originally an improvised joke of Arjona’s during rehearsal. Powell and Linklater’s collective response has since turned that moment into one of the highlights of her young career.
“When we did it in rehearsal, it was a joke that I told to Glen. He was like, ‘My name is Gary,’ and I was like, ‘Who the fuck is Gary!?’ And he was like, ‘That has to be in the movie,’” Arjona recalls. “Rick [Linklater] then passed me his computer, and he was like, ‘Write it!’ And I wrote, ‘Who the fuck is Gary!?’ It’s the biggest honor a director has ever given me.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Arjona also discusses how the Blink Twice cast had each other’s backs in response to the film’s sensitive subject matter and themes. She then explains how Gilroy has become a “godfather” figure to her.
Have you been getting a lot of this today? (I held up my Notes app à la Hit Man.)
No, you’re the first one!
I’m that guy? I thought I’d be the 20th that guy today.
(Laughs.) But I love it! I really appreciate it.
So you shot Blink Twice right before Hit Man?
Yeah, isn’t that crazy?
Between Zo? Kravitz’s directorial debut, a great cast and the chance to shoot at a beautiful location in Mexico, was Blink Twice a no-brainer?
Yeah, when I read the script, there were so many challenges regarding my character and my character’s arc that I found really intriguing and scary. I was like, “Oh, I kind of want to do this, but I’m not sure if I can.” So I put myself through a test. That’s what I do in every movie. If it scares me, I’ll probably do it.
When you work with a director who’s also an actor, do you notice more attention on performance than you do with a typical director?
Is Zo? the first director that I’ve worked with who’s also an actor? I think so — but not necessarily [in regard to more performance direction]. What I did see in her is that she shapeshifted her direction and gave all of us a different style of attention. She clocked it really quick: “Oh, Adria works like this, or this resonates with Adria, and this resonates with Naomi [Ackie].” So I thought that was really smart and empathetic of her.
The original title of the film was Pussy Island. When you were filming, did everybody expect that it would be changed at some point? Did you know that you wouldn’t get away with it?
I really thought we would’ve [gotten away with it]. I was like, “We’re doing it. That’s the name of the movie. That’s the script that I got.” So I never questioned it because it was on the script. Sometimes, a script will say, “Untitled, blah, blah, blah,” and this one didn’t. It was just [Pussy] Island, and we always called it that. I signed a contract that said [Pussy] Island. (Laughs.) So I never doubted it. When we got to reshoots, there was a rumor going around that we might change the name of the movie, and I was like, “What!? How does that make sense?” So that’s when I first found out, but Blink Twice makes so much sense once you watch the movie. It’s a great title.
Your character, Sarah, is a former reality show contestant, and so she’s fiercely competitive at first. You’re also a part of a highly competitive industry, so did you ever have to learn the lesson that Sarah learns about being more supportive and less competitive?
I think I need to learn the reverse lesson. (Laughs.) I think I need to think about myself a little bit more, not to get too deep. I love supporting my family and my friends, but sometimes I get lost. And then I’m like, “Shit, I haven’t eaten,” or, “I haven’t studied,” or, “I haven’t done this.” So I think it’s the opposite. The hardest part, I remember Zo? was like, “Adria, you’ve got to be bitchier.” And I was like, “That’s as bitchy as I get!” And she was like, “You’ve got to go bitchier.” And I was like, “Okay!” Then I would go again, and she’d be like, “Okay, that was better, but more.” And I was like, “More!?” So that was a big challenge for me in the introduction of the character, and we just laughed about it.
You once told me your True Detective story where you pretended to be your own manager during the casting of season two. So I assumed you were super competitive if you were willing to go to those lengths to get a job on True Detective.
No, I’m not competitive, but I’m very competitive with myself. I just don’t compete with other actors. That doesn’t make any sense. If I get a job or don’t get a job, it’s not up to me. The story with True Detective was that I called [as “my manager”] to get an audition. All I wanted was for them to see me, and I was like, “I know that if they see me, then maybe they’ll want to hire me.” So that’s the reason why I did all of that, but they wouldn’t give me an audition. They were going off of a list that I was obviously not on and was never in a million years going to be a part of. So I just sent in my tape and crossed my fingers until I got it.
Sarah puts on this fake smile at a certain point, and she communicates with the other women using her eyes. And it really struck a chord knowing that you’ve all had to do a version of this in real life. Did everybody swap stories on set? And did the male actors take it all in?
Yeah, we were very open in communication. All the women, we had to go to really dark places and have really challenging scenes, but so did the guys. They had to go there too, and it was really scary for them as well. So I wanted to make sure that Simon [Rex] felt safe, and Simon wanted to make sure that I felt safe. We shared stories as a group, but not very specific. But smiling and telling a story through your eyes, we do that every day. It’s the norm.
I’ve lived in resort towns and vacation destinations, and the novelty of it all wears off pretty quickly to where they feel just like any other place. In the first act, when you’re helping create an island resort vacation on camera, is it still a hard day’s work ultimately?
When you’re surrounded by really cool people like I was in this movie, it feels like a little bit of both. You’re like, “Wait, are we working? Are we shooting a movie, or are we just having a good time?” So it gets confusing in the best way, but once we got to the middle of the movie, it started getting really challenging because of all the emotions that you’re juggling. So many things are happening, and you’re playing high, drunk, confused and scared. But then you have to pretend like everything is fine, and you don’t want to give yourself away. So there were a lot of elements of this performance that were pretty exhausting, and I just got so lucky that I got to be next to Naomi. We just held each other’s hands in every scene that we had together and we juggled it all together.
Returning to Hit Man, I have to say that “Who the fuck is Gary!?” might be the funniest line of the year. Your timing was absolutely impeccable. How many variations did you do on the day?
(Laughs.) I just did that one.
One take!?
We might’ve done two takes. Hit Man was such a low budget movie, so we had to rehearse. We sat in a room for three weeks, rehearsed it nonstop for three weeks, wrote a lot of it and a lot of Madison’s arc. Me, Glen [Powell] and Rick [Linklater] wrote together, and then we rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed. So we shot it quickly, and that Notes app scene took only a couple hours. Everyone assumes it was a whole day of shooting, but we did four more scenes that day. We didn’t have the budget to do it a million times, and the take that we used, that angle, I might’ve done it once or twice.
I’m even more impressed now.
When we did it in rehearsal, it was a joke that I told to Glen. He was like, “My name is Gary,” and I was like, “Who the fuck is Gary!?” And he was like, “That has to be in the movie. That has to be in the movie.” And I was like, “Really?” Rick then passed me his computer, and he was like, “Write it!” And I wrote, “Who the fuck is Gary!?” (Laughs.) So I got to type that on Rick’s computer, but it was a joke that I did in rehearsal.
You wrote dialogue for Richard Linklater …
It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done and will ever do. It’s the biggest honor a director has ever given me, and Rick has also given me credit in interviews, which he didn’t have to do. He’s just the most elegant, most beautiful director in the world. I wish I could do everything with him.
I don’t have a ton of free time, but when I do, I’ll sometimes just sit around and think about how good Andor is.
(Laughs.) I’ve got to keep you around. You’re really boosting my ego. I like this.
That’s the job! So how does Andor season two stack up against season one?
Oh man, when I read season one, I pinched myself, and when I started reading season two, I was like, “[Tony Gilroy] can’t outdo [season one].” So I started reading episode one, and I was again like, “It’s not going to be as good.” But it’s fucking better. It’s so much better. It is. What he has crafted and created is mind-blowing, and I can’t believe I got to be a part of it. I have Tony Gilroy on speed dial. I don’t think that man gets bothered by anybody else but me. I’m like, “Hey, Tony, do you think I should do this? Hey, Tony, how are you?” And he’s like, “You’re calling again?” (Laughs.) I just have so much respect for him. He’s so talented, and he really outdid himself for season two.
I was lucky enough to interview him multiple times throughout season one, so I understand the urge to want to call him. He’s always interesting.
He’s a really good chat, and he’s so funny. And the way he talks to me — no one believes in me more than Tony Gilroy. He sees things that I don’t see. He sees my value as an actor. I’m like, “I don’t know if I can.” And he’s like, “What are you talking about? Yes, you can.” And I’m like, “Okay. Yes, I can.” He just believes in me so much, and he’s really turned into my godfather in this industry.
Did you ever get the Bix or Star Wars-related tattoo you were considering?
I got a Bix tattoo! By the way, you’re the first person I’ve told about this, press wise. (Arjona points to it on her arm.) It’s a little tiny x for Bix, and I got it … Can I say it? Disney can’t fire me. I already shot it. It’s in the can. I got it while I was on set. My makeup artist did a stick-and-poke [tattoo] in the middle of a lunch break.
Did anybody follow your lead and get their own tattoo?
No, I think everyone was too scared. They were like, “A stick-and-poke at lunch? Can we get fired?” And I was like, “It’s too late!”
I’m always sensitive to the fact that you and your peers get asked a lot of the same questions, so I always try to veer into territory that I know hasn’t been covered. One such example is when I asked Isabela Merced about the TV you gave her a couple years ago.
(Laughs.)
She then spent a good amount of time explaining how generous you are.
Aww!
Anyway, she recently worked with Cailee Spaeny, whom you were close with on Pacific Rim Uprising. Did you try to connect the two of them ahead of time?
I didn’t because I can’t keep up with Isabela. She is constantly working. She’s like, “Oh, now I’m here. Now I’m in Italy.” And I’m like, “I miss you. Where are you?” So she’s never in town, but I just got a random picture of those two together. The text was like, “We’ve been talking about you for hours. We love you.” And then I looked at the picture and was like, “Oh my God, those are my two babies.” I love those girls so much. I always check in on Isabela, almost like a big sister, but I was like, “I don’t have to check in on you on [Alien: Romulus]. You’re with Cailee. You’re going to be so great.” They’re both so talented.
You’re currently filming another high-profile show in Ed Brubaker and Jordan Harper’s Criminal, I believe.
Yeah, I’m almost done with it. It’s great.
Are you working with Michael Mando?
Yes, I love Michael, and Charlie [Hunnam] is incredible. He’s such a sweet guy and what a great lead for this show. He’s so generous, and we’re having a lot of fun. Our directors, Anna [Boden] and Ryan [Fleck], are great, and I just miss them all already. I go back on Sunday [8/11], and I’ve been like, “I miss Anna and Ryan and Charlie and Michael.”
***
Blink Twice opens in movie theaters on August 23.
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