Adria Arjona Goes Her Own Way

The spotlight is nothing new to Adria Arjona. As the daughter of the famed Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, she grew up among musicians before pursuing her passion for acting. “I wanted to find my own thing, my own identity,” she tells W’s editor at large, Lynn Hirschberg. After training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York, Arjona began landing parts in acclaimed series like True Detective and Andor. This year, she’s garnered buzz for two standout performances: as a former Survivor contestant in Zoë Kravitz’s psychological thriller, Blink Twice; and as Madison, an alluring but possibly dangerous woman starring opposite Glen Powell in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man. However, she says her most transformative work to date is in Los Frikis, a film she also executive produced. “It's about the AIDS epidemic in Cuba in the ’90s, and how artists had no freedom of expression. It changed my life. I was someone else after that movie.”

Did you always want to be an actor?

I grew up on a tour bus with my dad. He’s still on tour. He would make me sell merchandise for him at his shows. And he still does. He just played at whatever the Staples Center is called now, and he said to me, “Why are you wearing heels? You’ve got to go sell merchandise.” I said, “Dad, I act now. People might recognize me from a movie. I can’t go charging them 20 bucks a T-shirt!”

Because I grew up on tour and met so many different people, I would always mimic people—like the way a person walks, or a facial expression. Then we moved to Florida when I was in high school, and it was a big change from living like an artist to, all of a sudden, being in one place. I became really shy, so my dad put me in an acting class, and something in my brain just clicked. Within eight months, the owner of the acting school kicked me out. He was like, “Kid, I think you have something special. You're not allowed here anymore. If you stay in Miami, you’ll never leave.” He helped me sign up for Lee Strasberg, so I went to New York when I was 17, almost 18.

Were you scared?

I was by myself, but I felt I could conquer the world. I feel like I'm more fearful now than when I was 18. I knew I could take New York! I was this ball of confidence. But, oh man, I struggled big-time.

What was the first job you booked?

A small role in Person of Interest, and within four days they told me they wanted me to be a series regular. But I couldn’t because I was going to be on True Detective. At that point, I hadn’t been cast—I didn’t even have an audition—and I told that to the Person of Interest producer. I pretended to be my manager, and I spoke to True Detective casting. I really hustled my way to getting that audition.

Do you manifest roles a lot?

I think I manifested Hit Man. I was intrigued by sexy ’90s thrillers, but I also understood that it was a genre that had to be reinvented. When I Zoomed with Richard Linklater, I vomited all that I had been holding on to for so long. And he was like, “Well, I was going to hire a female writer. I guess you're it.” I helped structure Madison, but it was more of a collaboration with Glen and Rick.

You and Glen Powell had great chemistry. Your love scenes are quite steamy.

I love Glen. He's the best. We sat around for two weeks eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, and then we’d write these scenes. We shared anecdotes from our personal lives with each other. I very quickly learned a lot about him and he learned about me, which instantly created this trust between us.

Your latest film, Los Frikis, is a much different project, a drama inspired by true events.

The movie is about finding freedom within your country. These punk rock kids in Cuba decide they can either try to cross the ocean and probably die in the middle of it, or inject themselves with HIV. Back then they thought it was just a flu. But they were sent to a hospital where they could be free. It sounds depressing, but it’s actually really joyful and beautiful. The Cuban spirit is so contagious.

Do you have a favorite reality show?

Love Is Blind. I grew up watching people—that’s how I get a lot of my inspiration, sitting on the subway or walking on the street. I like observing someone’s behavior or speech patterns. During Covid I wasn’t outside, so I’d watch Love Is Blind. They have some really kooky people. I like stealing from them.

Who is your celebrity crush?

This is a weird one, but I love Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. Jim Parsons! I love how tender he is, how smart and unaware he can be at times. It’s really endearing. I also had a really big crush on Dr. House [from the show House]. I was attracted to both of their brilliance.

Do you have a go-to karaoke song?

Something by Selena Quintanilla. Either “Como La Flor” or “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.” I know the whole dance to that one. Or anything by Whitney Houston. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is always a good one. It's a crowd-pleaser. I need people to sing along with me.

Do you like to sing?

If I have one regret in life, it’s not following in my dad's footsteps a little bit more. He’s my idol. I'm trying to learn guitar right now, but it's frustrating. My dad gave me a guitar at 5 years old, and I didn’t want to do anything related to music because it was his thing.

What sign are you?

Taurus. We are loyal, faithful, and grounded. We have a bad reputation for being stubborn. Personally, I don’t care if I’m right or wrong. I think you learn by failing, so I'm not interested in always being right. People often say, “You are not very Taurus-like.” But I have an astrologist. She does my chart every month. I find it pretty accurate. Mostly, it’s a guide. She’ll tell me, “This day might not be the best day to have a confrontation.” My life is so chaotic and crazy—to find a little bit of security in something helps me.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Hair for portfolio by Paul Hanlon at Dawes & Co.; makeup for portfolio by Sam Visser at Art Partner; manicures for portfolio by Michelle Saunders James. Set design by Gerard Santos at Lalaland.

Creative producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Leonard Cuinet-Petit at January Productions; producer to Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott: Kevin Isabelle; produced by AP Studio, Inc.; executive producer: Alexis Piqueras; producer: Anneliese Kristedja; associate producer: Kimmy D’Ancona; production manager: Hayley Stephon; production coordinators: Miranda Dos Santos, Susan Lucas; photography assistants: John Neate, Jed Barnes, Chris Whitaker, Kendall Peck; digital technician: Niccolo Pacilli; digital assistant: Cassian Gray; postproduction by Dreamer Post Production; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Molly Cody, Celeste Roh, Raea Palmieri, Tatiana Isshac, Haleigh Nickerson, Lauren Marron, Savannah Steilner, Sage McKee, Frankie Benkovic, Kaley Azambuja, Tatum Sanchez; production assistants: Gigi Rosenfield, Lily Cordingley, Eli Cash, Lex Vaughn, Anderson Renno, Kat Saravia, Kyle Dekker, Wyatt Noble, Brandon Martin, Moose Krupski, Josh Muwwakkil, Bradley Gonsalves, Drew Carter, Thomas Lynch, Alex Kofman, Jackson Schrader, Anatalia Zavaleta, Joseph Wride, Matt Flynn; first AD: Steve Kemp; location manager: Kyle Hollinger; hair assistants: Kim Garduno, Ben Gregory, Marco Iafrate, Hyacinthia Faustino, Chris Foster; makeup assistants: Shimu Takanori, Laura Dudley, Brian Dean, Beatrice Sandoval; manicure assistant: Cheyenne Vander Schuur; set design assistants: Seth Powsner, Denver Stoddard, Ryan Johnson; tailors: Irina Tshartaryan, Ripsime Vartanyan, Jackie Martirosyan at Susie’s Custom Designs, Inc.