Onslaught Star Adria Arjona Is Officially in Her Action Star Era
The Hit Man and Andor star talks stunt work, describes how she avoided being typecast, and revisits some of her offbeat choices.
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Adria Arjona is officially in her action star era. In Onslaught, the newest horror-action film from director Adam Wingard, Arjona plays Celeste, a veteran suffering from PTSD, who lives on the fringes of society and must unleash her capacity for violence when a group of genetically enhanced soldiers escape custody and attack her and her daughter. In honor of her new film, Arjona sat down with Seen on the Screen host Jacqueline Coley to talk about gearing up for her biggest action role yet.
“It’s so fun,” Arjona tells Coley of stepping into the horror-action genre. “I just got to do things that I would never necessarily do or was never really allowed to do, and it just felt so liberating.” Though Arjona has done some stunt work in the past — her credits in the action genre include Andor and 6 Underground — she tells Coley that Onslaught was an entirely new experience. As the lead in the film, Arjona not only had much more to do, she also had to consider her young co-star, Blake Kennedy, who plays her daughter in the film. “There were a lot of stunts that weren’t supposed to be me, but they had to be me because she wouldn’t do it with my double,” Arjona recounts, adding that she was happy to do whatever it took to make Kennedy feel safe on set.
Just because she’s reveling in her action star status doesn’t mean Arjona will stay in the genre. The actor, whose resumé includes Hit Man, Blink Twice, and Morbius, is not one to be pinned down. “Hopping in between genres has allowed me not to be stereotyped. It’s kind of saved my career, I think, as a Latin woman,” she tells Coley, adding that when she first arrived in Hollywood, she felt that the industry was trying to define her as “the next Michelle Rodriguez.” So, she made the conscious decision to vary her roles as much as possible. “I think every Latin woman — and I think every actress — deserves their own spot and not to be compared, so I kind of decided to go a little bit more offbeat.”
Watch Arjona’s full appearance on Seen on the Screen to hear her revisit some of those “offbeat” choices. Plus, she reveals why she’s “never been more at peace” than she was when working on Hit Man with Richard Linklater and which of her former co-stars she calls “one of the best actresses of this generation.”
Onslaught hits theaters Sept. 4, and you can buy tickets right now on Fandango.
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Seen on the Screen is a Universal Entertainment and Fandango podcast series hosted by Jacqueline Coley, Awards Editor at Rotten Tomatoes.
Claim your ticket to witness the personal narratives happening behind the scenes of film and entertainment! Each episode invites you into intimate conversations with filmmakers, actors, and industry insiders. Blending sharp cinematic trivia with thoughtfully crafted interview questions, Jacqueline leads each guest through a rich, reflective journey into their lifelong relationship with entertainment. From the formative movie‑going experiences that shaped their artistic worldview to their career‑defining moves — asking them to reflect on the films that have rocked their world, scared the daylights out of them, and changed them forever.
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