Watch Out, Hollywood—Adria Arjona Is an Unstoppable Force

Halfway through our phone call, Adria Arjona admits that she's wearing overalls and is covered in sawdust as we speak. "I wish you could see what I look like right now," she laughs. "There are workers at my house today, so I'm getting my hands dirty too." The actress is at home in L.A. for a brief respite in between filming her newest project in Portland and has taken advantage of the fleeting downtime to tend to one of her many home renovation projects. I begin to imagine a fresh coat of paint or perhaps the construction of some new furniture, but no. "I'm learning a lot about electricity and hardwiring," she continues. "I want to get my contractor license. That's a big one for me." Okay, I'm listening. A quick flip through Arjona's Instagram feed looks nothing like the scene she's describing to me. It's all red carpet appearances, runway shows, and poses in full glam. "I think people would never get this vibe from me," she adds, seemingly taking the words right out of my mouth. "Like, I drive a Tacoma."

Wait—now, I'm really intrigued.

Who is Adria Arjona? On the surface, she's a Puerto Rican and Guatemalan actress, a muse of luxury brands Tiffany and Co. and Loewe, and the costar to Channing Tatum and Glen Powell. But when the cameras are tucked away, she's a pickup truck–driving, power drill–wielding, all-around force. Suffice it to say that whatever notion I may have had of the actress before this just got wiped away. If there's one thing to know about Arjona, it's that she's anything but one-dimensional.

The actress is undeniably having a moment right now. This summer alone, she stars in Netflix's smash-hit rom-com Hit Man (it's number one on the streaming platform and features the internet's boyfriend du jour Glen Powell—maybe you've heard of it) and Zoë Kravitz's much-anticipated directorial debut, the dark thriller Blink Twice, which hits theaters on August 23. Between the two, Arjona is unstoppable. In the wake of Hit Man, there's no question that it marked a turning point in her career. "I did these projects a couple years ago, and now that people are watching them, I feel like I'm being introduced to a whole new group of people," she acknowledges. While being in the wake of the movie's success hasn't changed much on a personal level, she's more than feeling the impact of it professionally. "I'm definitely getting more offers and interesting work that I'm like, 'Oh, maybe I wouldn't have gotten this before if it wasn't for Hit Man,'" she says.

If you've seen Arjona's performance, you'll realize exactly why director Richard Linklater hadn't considered anyone else for the role. "Rick is personally one of my favorite filmmakers," she beams. "The fact that I was the only person that he wanted for this movie…" She drifts off, still bewildered at her fate. "He opened the door for me to be a collaborator in this film and believed in me. That doesn't happen often. One of my favorite filmmakers gave me a seat at the table and was like, 'Your ideas are good. I want what you're thinking.' It was the biggest compliment for me," she continues. Linklater—the director behind classics of the rom-com and comedy canons like Before Sunrise, Boyhood, and Dazed and Confused—sent Arjona to meet with Powell for a vibe check in lieu of the traditional casting route.

As Arjona puts it, what was supposed to be a quick coffee meeting turned into a five-hour ordeal where the duo bonded over tequila. Of course, it did. The on-screen chemistry between the two is palpable and a huge part of what makes the movie so fun, but Arjona brings a level of relatability to the role of Madison that makes the whole movie shine. It's the kind of performance that makes you want to discover more about her after the credits roll. Have I seen her before? Where can I see her again? Now more than ever, Adria Arjona is a name to know.

"I've definitely had a lot of 'pinch me' moments throughout this whole experience," she reflects. When I ask if the success of the Netflix project has allowed her a broader sense of security in Hollywood, she admits that her imposter syndrome has a strong grip. "I'm always like, 'I'm never gonna work again,'" she says, adding that the success of Hit Man has started to ease those anxieties. "The fact that people are really excited about my work is kind of reassuring. [It's] like, 'Wait, maybe I will work again.'"

Up until this point, Arjona has resisted Hollywood's urge to pigeonhole her into any box (her résumé has spanned comedy, action, thriller, and romance) and has instead ensured she can't be defined by a singular archetype or even cinematic genre. "I'll play all these sorts of different characters so people can't pinpoint me. Maybe that's why people now feel like they're being introduced to me. It's hard in this industry if you're not filling in or replacing something," she says. Essentially, if you're not typecasting yourself, people don't know what to make of you. To that, Arjona says she's just not really interested in playing the game. "I just want to do me and [play] all these different characters. Maybe that's why I'm not the most famous actor, and honestly, I don't care," she says. Fame or no fame, Arjona has always had one goal in mind: "I'm going to keep working to break boundaries for Latin American women to show the world that we're not the three types they might think we are. We're infinite."

For an actress with as much experience as Arjona has—she began her acting career at the age of 18—it's refreshing to hear her say things like "'pinch me' moment" and "the biggest compliment." With all the buzz and publicity surrounding her performances this summer, Arjona remains as giddy and grateful as someone a decade her junior. Whether that's a product of the years she spent facing and overcoming obstacles, her tight-knit support system of friends and family ("Surrounding myself with my people is really important."), or the fact that her late-April birthday makes her an earth sign (Taurus, to be exact), Arjona has her feet placed squarely on the ground.

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If the reception of Hit Man is any indication, then Arjona's star power is only going to shine brighter once audiences see her next project, Blink Twice. This summer, she appears in the gripping psychological thriller alongside Tatum and Naomi Ackie, who plays Frida. It's a film that can only be described as twisted and one that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

The Kravitz-directed and co-written film follows sleazy billionaire Slater King, played by Tatum, and a gaggle of young women who are spontaneously invited to his private island. The trip is blissful until they realize their reality is not what it appears to be. In it, Arjona plays the brazen and fearless Sarah, a former reality star of a Survivor-type series whose survival skills end up proving useful as the movie progresses. No spoilers, but she and Frida are forced to hatch an impromptu escape plan that will quite literally have you at the edge of your seat. The film as a whole is as visually stunning as it is suspenseful and as funny in tone as it is unsettling in plot. "It has a Zoë sense of humor," Arjona confirms. "I'm just really excited for the world to see [Kravitz] in a different light and to explore her visual brain." I couldn't agree more.

As it turns out, Arjona is as fearless off-screen as the characters she plays. Before we spoke, I read an article about her in which she admitted to skydiving to get over the heartbreak of missing out on a major role she was up for. When I bring it up, she laughs and admits that, while it was definitely one of her more extreme reactions to feeling disappointment, it was far from her first skydiving adventure. Taking risks. Putting herself out there. Jumping out of a plane. Hatching an escape plan off a billionaire's private island. In the face of a challenge, Arjona always rises to the occasion.

That bold energy is often reflected through Arjona's wardrobe choices. She's been working with stylist Sandra Amador to cultivate an aesthetic of looks that are elegant and timeless but powerful. "Earlier in my career, I would always wear things that kind of would hide," she admits. "I always wanted to be a little bit more conservative, and I think I'm in a time in my life where I'm embracing my body and my hair—I have the craziest curly hair." It's only been in the past few years that Arjona has begun to step out of her shell stylistically speaking. Now, her mentality is much more unabashed. "This is who I am," she proclaims, and her focus is on "silhouettes that fit [her] body and that make [her] feel beautiful and sexy and powerful."

One such example of that power comes to mind immediately: the slinky red Alaïa dress Arjona wore at the L.A. premiere of Hit Man, a vintage style from the '90s. She lights up as soon as I mention the look. "That is a vintage one that I sourced ages ago. I collect a lot of vintage—I think I'm Alaïa's number one fan," she says, mentioning Vivienne Westwood too. "I have all these corsets that I wore for the press tour. All of them are a part of my collection. It was really cool because Sandra was like, 'Wait, why aren't we wearing these?' She very much pushed me into it."

Even if it takes a tiny nudge, Arjona thrives outside her comfort zone. Whether it's taking risks on the red carpet, teaching herself how to rewire her electrical system and roof her home, or jumping out of a plane to see a wider perspective, Arjona faces her fears head-on. In fact, I get the impression that there's nothing Arjona has ever half-assed in life. That tenacity and drive have taken her this far, and based on her recent projects, this is only the beginning.

Photographer: Jeremy Choh at See Management

Stylist: Anna Katsanis at Walter Schupfer Management

Editorial Director: Lauren Eggertsen

Hairstylist: Jennifer Yepez at The Wall Group

Makeup Artist: Misha Shahzada at A-Frame Agency

Manicurist: Yukie Miyakawa at See Management

Director of Video: Samuel Schultz

Cinematographer: Ryan Mitchel

AC/Grip: Matthew Kern

Sound Editor: Patrick Southern

Video Editors: James Post and Collin Hughart

Creative Director: Natalia Sztyk

Producer: Luciana De La Fe

Executive Director of Entertainment: Jessica Baker

Designer: Ally Quirk

Copy Editor: Jaree Campbell