You Can Thank Adria Arjona for the Sexiness of ‘Hit Man’

Halfway via my screening of Hit Man on the Sundance Movie Competition, the viewers burst into applause. To be clear, the film was not executed. However the two essential characters, performed by Adria Arjona and , had simply pulled off one thing so unlikely that the viewers couldn’t assist however react. It was a enjoyable second throughout a film that, I can’t overstate this, is so, so enjoyable. Arjona is a giant a part of why. As Madison, a lady who tries to rent a success man to kill her husband however finally ends up courting the hit man as a substitute, she provides the film a way of spontaneity and sexiness.

Arjona hopped on Zoom to speak about how she introduced these components to the character, why her first assembly with Powell concerning the position ended up being 5 hours, and what she thinks occurred with Madison and Gary earlier than that remaining scene.

[There are spoilers ahead for the ending of Hit Man. Proceed with caution!]

I learn in an interview with director Richard Linklater that if you have been first in dialogue for the position, you bought a espresso with Glen and it was drinks, then it grew to become a 5 hour assembly. What do you keep in mind about that day?

Nicely, it wasn’t espresso. It was tequila, which is the explanation why I don’t keep in mind a lot of what was stated. Rick and I Zoomed and we had this nice dialog. Rick knew that it was going to be me and referred to as Glen and was like, oh, it’s important to meet her. However he didn’t didn’t inform him, that is our woman. And so we met, and Glen was speculated to name Rick after the hour and a half of our assembly to so they might decide whether or not it was going to be me or not.

I get to the assembly and we’re each doing Dry January. Neither of us are consuming. Thirty minutes into it, we’ve this wonderful dialog and Glen simply type of appears to be like at me goes, can we please do that film collectively? I wish to do that with you. After which Glen was like, this feels celebratory, ought to we get some tequila? I used to be like, if you happen to don’t inform anyone, I gained’t inform anyone. We had tequila and we ended up hanging out for, like, 5 hours. The longest assembly I’ve ever been on. Rick was like, what occurred to them? He was all involved. He positively didn’t think about that we have been drunk on tequila collectively. After which we despatched him an image after the 5 hours and he’s like, oh, my God, I’m so relieved. And that’s how we stated I do.

What did you want about Madison if you first learn the script? She’s such an awesome character, however she is difficult.

I favored her unpredictability and her fascination with eager to reinvent herself. Madison comes from such an oppressed atmosphere and after we first meet her the power is down. I wished her to blossom after that diner scene. She’s enjoying the position of what she thinks a femme fatale is, and she or he’s reinventing herself into this sizzling girl, however she doesn’t actually know precisely what she’s doing. She’s all the time making an attempt to please Ron’s fantasy, whereas Ron is making an attempt to please her fantasy. In order that they’re each enjoying a component on this relationship for various causes.

There’s that monologue on the finish of the movie about how one can turn out to be the individual you wish to be simply by pretending to be the person who you wish to be. We all know how Gary’s pretending, however we all know much less about how Madison is pretending.

Yeah, she’s one hundred pc placing on an act for herself and to rebuild that confidence. She finds quite a lot of security in Ron and the thought of being with a hitman makes her really feel so protected and protected. That’s why she first gravitates towards him. After we first meet her she is so blinded. She’s about to kill her husband. It’s a must to pretend it until you make it and that’s type of what Madison is doing.

Let’s discuss that attraction between them. So far as she is aware of he actually kills folks for a residing. Why do you assume that turns her on?

It’s harmful and security on the similar time. You see her ex husband and you’ll inform he’s rich. You’ll be able to inform he’s extra put collectively, he has this anger that’s so entitled. So to be with someone else that’s driving a Honda Civic, you’re like, yes, I really like you. Ron’s assured and has that component of security. But in addition, he’s so type. She noticed him play with puppies. She says, you opened each door for me tonight. He’s Gary in the best way he treats her and she or he likes that, however he’s harmful. That’s actually seductive.

We have to focus on the Notes App scene. That was the second in my screening the place folks began clapping. How did you guys choreograph that? It stroke a chord in my memory of a dance sequence.

It began off with the define or the thought of that scene and we labored on it and labored on it and labored on it. We by no means gave up on that scene. Glen and Rick may let you know that their essential level because the writers of the movie was to place Madison and Ron in a nook and watch them get out of it. It was so effectively rehearsed. We ran it 1,000,000 instances, however by no means full out. We had the beats so locked after which by the point that we filmed it, it actually was a dance that we knew each step to, however we had by no means heard the music, so all this magic began occurring after we first heard Rick say motion. It felt like we have been placing on a play for the crew.

The scene the place Ron decides to kill Jasper, what do you assume that does for his or her relationship as a pair? It’s an attention-grabbing night of the enjoying discipline between them.

There are three actually vital scenes that construct as much as that second. It’s the scene the place he is available in and I inform him that I killed my ex. We’ve been seeing this couple falling in love and that is the pivotal second of breakage. Then there’s that scene that comes proper after, which is the cellphone Notes App scene and that’s like their make-up intercourse. You see them make up because the scene finishes. You’re like, oh, they’re again collectively. They’re dedicated. They’re on the identical crew. He’s not ratting her out. After which in that final scene, it’s full dedication. I’ve been calling it the proposal scene. Like, we’re in it. I’m in it for all times. They each have one thing on one another.

On the finish of the film, we quick ahead a couple of years they usually’re fortunately married with youngsters, however what do you assume occurred within the interim?

I want I might be a fly on the wall within the conversations like, okay, however who actually are you? And seeing Madison’s response to the truth that he wears jean shorts and doesn’t put on leather-based jackets. I feel what Madison falls in love with is de facto Gary’s qualities of Ron that preserve popping out, like him being a gentleman. I feel it’s to her shock to be like, oh, wow, you’ve gotten a coronary heart of gold.

What do you assume this character allowed you to do on display that possibly you hadn’t been capable of do earlier than?

There’s a degree of comedy and banter I hadn’t actually performed with lots. I additionally haven’t executed many sensual, but humorous, thrillers. I both play actually critical characters, or characters which are somewhat bit extra put collectively or extra dramatic. Madison is so free and spontaneous.

You talked about the sensuality of the film and it’s so, so sizzling, which is such a stunning shock.

That wasn’t within the script absolutely. The extra we created this dynamic, the extra vital to the plot their ardour grew to become. So I had a full temper board of photos that I wished within the film. There was a picture of this man in Italy and his face is on this girl, and the lady’s spilling somewhat little bit of wine. That grew to become our wine scene, of us bare pouring the wine. So we’re seeing these photos and type of going, oh, I discover that basically stunning. There was this one the place a lady’s taking off a stocking after which that grew to become the scene the place he takes off my sock slowly after I’m within the mattress. So all these tiny little moments that you simply see actually come from artwork.

We had images, we had sculptures that we have been referencing and making an attempt to recreate and make it right into a 3D format and provides them a heartbeat. It got here from an attractive visible place. And nearly all of them I delivered to the desk, all these photos. The flight attendant, we have been chatting about like, what would Madison purchase at Occasion Metropolis? When it got here to the creation of Madison, Glen and Rick actually concerned me within the writing course of. And I’ve by no means been part of that, ever. After which Glen and I checked out one another and we have been like, we’ve to carry out these items. We type of thought, oh yeah, Ron and Madison, Ron and Madison. I’m like, Yeah, however I’m Madison, and also you’re Ron, and we gotta do that! Which was a humorous component. We have been each like alright, effectively, we did this to ourselves.

You May Additionally Like