Adria Arjona was terrified she couldn’t pull off Onslaught, then became its badass action hero

Onslaught is launching on September 4 this year, but before its release, Adria Arjona reportedly revealed that she became frightened and asked director Adam Wingard whether she could handle the demanding physical challenges to play her character Celeste.

The Andor star stepped out at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23 to discuss her new A24 action thriller. In the film, she plays the role of a relentless army sniper living in a trailer park who must fight to protect her daughter against a wave of genetically engineered super-soldiers.

The actress revealed that she went through a lot of tactical training before fully understanding the role of Celeste. Wingard wanted her to bring back the strong sci-fi action spirit of the 1980s and so he made his decision to cast Arjona. He believed that she could bring the same energy Linda Hamilton showed as Sarah Connor or Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley.

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Onslaught: Adria Arjona was terrified about pulling off playing an army sniper

Los Angeles Premiere Of A24's "Onslaught" - Source: Getty

During an SDCC panel moderated by Kevin Smith, Arjona revealed:

"I remember sitting down with Adam and reading the script and just being terrified. I was like, 'Am I going to be able to do this? Can I do all of this?'"

The Hit Man star explained that she took the role with fear and was unsure whether she could truly prepare for it because most of the part demanded intense physical effort.

The actress further explained that the most difficult challenge was finding the right balance between being tough and strong while also showing the side of motherhood. She admitted that carrying both qualities together was extremely demanding and required a lot from her.

Wingard teased that Arjona was not showing off her full skills despite her popularity in Andor. When they met, she started sending him videos of herself firing machine guns.

Arjona turned her fear into strength to become a bad*ss action hero

After Wingard cast Arjona, she clarified that she didn't want to copy a man while playing Celeste's toughness and anti-hero side. She wanted her character's strength to feel real, not forced. She further explained that it was tough to play Celeste because the character had PTSD issues and so it made her wonder how to capture that balance. She started thinking,

"I drive a freaking pickup truck. I'm obsessed with tractors. There is a version of Celeste in me somewhere."

Wingard and Arjona broke away from traditional gender and racial stereotypes in parental roles when they explored the antihero themes and coming‑of‑age story in Onslaught. They focused on making Celeste a flawed but fully human character. Even though Celeste is unconventional, that uniqueness was essential to her authenticity and her journey as a struggling parent.