AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Adria Arjona's confidence only keeps growing

LOS ANGELES — Adria Arjona's mother is her biggest fan — and her fans' biggest supporter.

While in town for Paris Fashion Week this year, Arjona recalls the moment her mother stood outside their hotel, tearfully thanking a crowd of fans who were armed with “Andor” and “Father of the Bride” posters and screaming “Adria!”

“She didn’t stop crying for 40 minutes,” Arjona recounts. “She was like, ‘Remember when you started? That’s all you wanted was to be in a movie. All you wanted was to tell the story, and here you are.’”

Arjona, 32, has transformed from the reserved girl for whom performing wasn't a sure bet while growing up across Latin America to the captivating actor booking multiple scene-stealing roles.

“I always thought I was going to be too shy to actually do it, but once I did it, something switched ... and then I became obsessed,” Arjona says.

Arjona has been named one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2024, but her television debut came a decade ago, with a couple spots on network procedurals. Since then, she's secured notable roles in projects like “Narcos,” “True Detective,” and “Andor,” crescendoing into a wildly productive 2024 with leading roles alongside A-list colleagues.

“The best actors understand the importance of patience and the journey within a film, and Adria embodies that,” Glen Powell, Arjona's “Hit Man” co-star, wrote in an email.

Beside the Richard Linklater movie, this year alone she starred in “The Absence of Eden,” alongside Zoe Saldaña, and was cast in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut “Blink Twice” and the upcoming “Los Frikis” from directors Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson.

Growing up, she describes herself as “very hyper, but quiet and a little shy.”

“I wanted to learn to do so many things that my dad was like, ‘I think you might be an actress,’” she said.

Arjona would perform for her family members, but it was in her adolescent years that art classes gave her confidence in her craft. Still, the actor of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent constantly tried to prove herself as an artist and an actor. Arjona doesn’t take it lightly that she is one of the few Latina actors cast in multidimensional roles.

“I always put this pressure on myself of making a difference for Latin Americans in cinema, just playing different roles and trying not to get stereotyped ... it took me a long time,” she said.

Her long-term dream is to see more varied Latin American stories on screen. That's what drew her to “Los Frikis,” the coming-of-age story about a punk rock group set in early 1990s Cuba that she co-stars in and executive produces.

“I just hope that it gets less and less complicated and that the opportunities of playing real dimensional characters just doesn’t stop,” she said.

She quickly learned to advocate for herself in Hollywood and credits collaborators like Linklater for believing in her and presenting her the opportunity to flex her writing skills. While working on “Hit Man,” Arjona contributed to the second part of the comedy’s script — something Powell also noted.

“She’s also incredibly generous as an actor; her off-camera takes were just as electric as her on-camera moments,” he wrote.

Arjona is at a pivotal moment in her career. With multiple projects on the horizon, like “Splitsville” and A24's “Onslaught,” she is enjoying acting and producing and says she's open to writing and directing if presented with the right opportunity.

She attributes her openness to some early advice from her father, Grammy-winning recording artist Ricardo Arjona, who reminded her to never stop learning.

“You can’t pretend that you know what you’re doing,” he told her. “That’s the biggest mistake you can do. Always ask for help and ask questions and you’ll learn faster that way instead of pretending.”

She's taken her father’s advice, soaking in every moment on set and continuously falling in love with the process. She still gets butterflies on her first day.

“I still feel nervous,” she said. “I hope I always stay nervous. I think it’s a sign that I really care, and I still really enjoy what I’m doing.”