Adria Arjona

How you feeling? Are you good? Oh, I'm so good. Are you kidding me? My whole life is in the line. And you're just f***ing with me. One might say you're f***ing with me. I'm not. I'm so hard to secrecy. And I don't like secrets. I hate secrets. I'm so bad at them. Prepare your ears, humans. Happy, sad, confused, begins. Hey guys, it's Josh. Welcome to another edition of Happy, sad, confused, today on the show. First time guest, Andrea Arhona, absolutely killing it in recent years. Hitman, her new film on slot and door. She's in the new man of tomorrow, Superman's sequel as someone. We don't know. We'll see. Today we're talking about onslaught, her new film with Adam Wingard. This is a great conversation. So thrilled she finally came on the podcast. Thanks guys as always for checking out Happy, sad, confused, remember? Hit that subscribe button on YouTube on Spotify, whoever you're enjoying this. I appreciate you guys. Remember to check out our patreon patreon.com/happy, sad, confused, early access, discount codes to our live events, and much, much more. We've got a live one on October 13th in New York City with Joe Manganello talking about his career, his new memoir, and more. Okay, made event today, as I said. It's Andrea Arhona, who is very much in demand. She's getting like all these choice roles and well deserved. She kind of came. I think I feel like the neck, the big break for her in recent years, has to be Hitman, the Richard Linkletter film with her and Glenn Powell. But since then, getting the absolutely great role of Bix in Andor, being cast in the new Thomas Crown affair remake, getting this new potentially game-changing role in man of tomorrow, and leading this film onslaught, directed by Adam Wingard. If you know Adam Wingard's films, you know that he's kind of got a gonzo spirit, like an action/sperit to much of his early works. And this is kind of a return to form. Andrea is a kickass heroine in this. She leads the way alongside a cast that includes Drew Starky, Reginald Bell Johnson. If you know Die Hard, you know who I'm talking about. And Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall and more. So she's great in this. This is a really fun conversation. And I know a lot of people are going to be tuning into this one, because they are curious about Andrea's role in man of tomorrow, the Superman sequel. There's a lot of conjecture about who she plays to lay it out on the table. There's conjecture that she's playing a character named Maxima, or there's conjecture that she's playing a character known as Wonder Woman. Now, I don't know who she plays. For the record, I have no idea who she plays. I have no insight until I just know what I believe, which is I'm guessing she's Wonder Woman. And I think she'd be a hell of a Wonder Woman. We have a nice extended conversation about those rumors, a very playful conversation. Don't worry, we don't spoil anything. But I think no matter who she ends up playing in retrospect at this portion of the conversation, you guys are going to dig. So enjoy this entire chat with Andrea about her entire career onslaught all the way back and to the future with Thomas Crown of Fair and Man of Tomorrow. Enjoy. Andrea, are you ready for this? I'm ready. Did I get it right, Andrea? You did. You're the first one today. The first one, all. Yeah. I was going to say, I feel like, look, in the trajectory of your career, you're killing it the last few years especially. You've been doing it for a minute. But especially the last few years, have you noticed a ratio of like percentage of people getting it right? No, they keep killing it. They keep killing your name. They keep killing my name. It I feel like it's getting worse. No. I did. What's the worst pronunciation? What's the one that gets on your schedule? Are you Fiona? Yeah, no. Was one I got today? That's just adding syllables. Yeah, that's adding letters. You're like, what is happening? I've gotten Abigail many times. Oh, yeah. Abigail always surprises me. It's the one that I get the most. I'm like, not even close. A B, a G, an L, you're getting real creative. My name is five letters. Get guys, come on. It's five letters. Hey, some respect. It's Adria Arjona. There it is. Or Adria Arjona. Arjona. God, damn it. Most importantly, let's call her a first-time guest and happy second-fuse. I'm so happy to have you here and be following your work a lot lately. And I've been following yours. Oh, I appreciate you. Congratulations. The new film we're spreading the good word on is Adam Wingard's "Mad Cap." I don't know what we call it. Slasher, genre, mash-up on slot. That was good. How are you feeling? You're like about to deliver this child into the universe. You've been very much behind this one. You love this one. I know. Do you tend to get like tense before release excited? Put me in your head a little bit. Well, this one's a wild child. So I'm a little scared. No, I'm really excited. I'm particularly excited about this one because. And I felt the same in Spitzville because it's very much a director's movie. I love watching a director take a swing and faking nail it. And it's. He makes some very interesting choices. The sound design in this movie is amazing. And I just. Yeah, I like seeing risky movies go to the theaters. This is what I always say. I mean, one of my monitors on this podcast is like, I'll take a big swing that succeeds or fails any day over. I don't need a double. I don't need like a safe. We've seen plenty of safe movies. Just go for it. Just go for it. Adam Wingard goes for it. So part of like. I'm sure a lot of appeals. Start with the film then. I'll backtrack about a lot of other stuff in your career if you'll indulge me. But like. I mean, you're aspiring. I would imagine Adam and yourself like to some kind of like iconic bad asterie. Oh yeah. And this like this is like Ripley Sarah Connor in the DNA. Like is that referenced like right from the start? I mean. Maybe there's an heir there too. I mean, she was my north star in preparation and then once I, you know, start filming, I kind of dropped that idea. I'm like, it's too much for me to. Yeah, put that picture on the. Put that picture in my trailer. I'm like, "Nah, she's too cool. She's this way too cool." But I aspired, you know, she was part of my inspiration. Definitely in the prep work. And I think when you first start watching the movie, you're like a little confused by my character, which is what we sort of intended. I. We made a very specific choice that we wanted her to feel messy and have a complicated relationship with motherhood. We see so many male actors get a chance to portray those characters, but rarely do we see women get to portray those characters. So that was really fun, and it was an intentional choice. Is there a sense? I mean, like for those that have. Probably most people that are listening to this podcast have watched "Adams Work" before, but like my sense is, like, people are game. Like, I'm in this film alone. Your performance, I mean, what Drew Starkey is doing here, what Dan Stevens is doing here. Like props to everybody. Everybody goes for it. Right? Is that something that's just like inherent to, like, the atmosphere "Adams Creates on Said" that dates into the DNA of the script. I mean, why do you think he attracts actors that are kind of willing to go for it? A lot. I mean, it definitely is "Adams" for sure, but I think for this one specifically, it's "Adams Coming Back Home" to what he does best, what he's loved to do, the kind of movies that defined him as a filmmaker. He went off and did these big studio movies and out of what he's told me, I don't want to speak for him. He loved them. You know, he had so much fun, but there was a part of him that was missing, you know, he wasn't necessarily making his movies. And so it felt like a comeback story. So we were all gained to be like, "All right, this is "Adams Passion Project." Yeah, nothing about this feels compromised. It doesn't feel like, "Oh, someone in a studio was like, "Can we put this in here? Can we do that?" No, no, no, no, not at all. Like opposite. Not at all. Quite opposite. You know, I think, for example, me having an eye patch on, like I've been trying my whole career to have a scar on my face and no studio allows me to have blood or scar on my face, you know, it's always like an arm, this, that. But I don't know, I've always just thought I would look cool. And no one's let me, except for Adam Winkler. I mean, shades of John Carpenter, you can't see like an eye patch without thinking, like, Snake Pliskin, at least I can't, right? I mean, when do you. I know this isn't sort of like an easy shoot. Like, when do you on this set feel at your coolest and at your whamest on the set? Like, what's the high and the what's the low? Ooh, there is not an easy dance set on this one for sure. I think the beginning of the movie feels a little bit lighter for my character, but it's still, you know, it's. It's a performance like no other that I've done. So I think every time you step into someone's shoes that you've never, or like a character that you've never tackled, or the idea of a character that you've never tackled, I don't think there's an easy day on set. And I'm kind of neurotic in that sense. I'm like, I just want to do a good job. So I. So is that constantly. Is there a constant tension then for you? Like, that's. I mean, is that a place that you like to live in as an actor, where. No, no, no, no, no, no. Maybe I'm describing myself wrong. I'm the prop master here. And the armor, uh, Brett, who is the reason I look cool in this movie. He described me, like, pretty perfectly. He's like, you're like a wild horse. You just go for it. Like, it's a small little direction. I'm like, boom. I just jolt towards things. No, I like to have fun. Has that always been the case? I mean, because I've talked to a lot of actors where it's like, that's where you want to be optimally. But a lot of times, you get. Sometimes you get burned by directors, by editors, etc. And it's like, you want to always get to that flow state on a set. But that's a lot of trust to put into a filmmaker. Yeah, well, I do trust. - I'm Winggoo for sure. I think you just have to, I don't know, just go for it. It's a little bit more exciting than overthinking things. I'm not very analytical when it comes to acting. I could be analytical about other stuff, but when it comes to acting, it's a fully intuition. When people sometimes ask me, "What's your style of work or what's your process?" I'm like, "I don't have one. I don't. I really don't. Every movie is different." That being said, we'll get into the background now if that's okay. You were trained. You did at least straws from here in the city, and that's hardcore acting. I mean, I did a whole conservatory at least, right? Going through something like that, what did you discover about what your process is? Were you trying different ways to do what you do now, where are you at now versus where you were then? I had to shed a lot of stuff coming out of school. Really? Yeah. I've never been a school person, I've never liked school. I loved acting school. They created a community for me. It gave me so many tools, but when I started working, I had to unlearn a lot of stuff. I came with a lot of tricks and little things in my pocket, and it just wasn't translating the same, at least not for me. I know actors that I went to school with that still follow. It works really well for them, but I never worked for me. There's everything about method acting and replacing things and going back to it. I would always feel, sorry, there's a bad feeling. There's always something about, like sense and memory and all those things. It feels a little too self-indulgent for me. I really bounce off of whoever is in front of me and looking into somebody's eyes and making them react or having fun and just honestly just playing and just being a little kid and just trying to play and figure it out. That seems to work a lot. More for me, it feels a lot more organic and truthful. That's why I don't come in with so much shit of my own. I feel like sometimes it could be disruptive for me. I know a lot of people, it works. I think the most important, if I were to have a process, it's sort of like, I don't know how to explain it, sort of gauging everybody else's process. I'm like, all right, this director kind of works like this, interesting. This actor works like that. How do I respect their boundaries and play with them? Yeah, I don't like imposing your own kind of, like-- Yeah, no, I find that to be-- It's selfish. It can be selfish for an actor. I mean, I've had this conversation with a lot of actors and I appreciate what you're saying because, yeah, also, where's the fun of it if you've done all the work? If you've done all the work in your trailer and have like bring like a mattered performance that doesn't like have any conversation with anybody else, like, he might as well be doing it yourself. On your own? Yeah. Or with the tennis ball? Yeah. Like, I don't-- I don't know, I don't have-- I don't have fun that way. I do-- I can freak out some actors. I'm pretty spontaneous as some people are like, whoa, what are you doing? Is that changing the lines or just changing like movement or like, what's-- can you give me an example of what that's like? Yeah, sometimes I'll do a couple takes like word for word and then I'll ask for like-- One for me. Yeah, one for me kind of an do certain things, sometimes it ends in the editing floor, sometimes it ends in the movie. But you give an option in the edit room. And I think being a producer has allowed me to ask for-- Yes. One for me. Yeah. And those are always-- yeah, those are always fun. Yeah. Yeah. And it shakes-- it shakes it up on set too for everybody, hopefully, in a good way. In a good way. Yeah. And it's paraphrasing. Getting the gist of it. You got-- Not at me. No one is better. Meaning like kind of shortening what you-- just getting through the gist of the-- Yeah. You give me a line. I could say that line in a different way. And it's by choice. And I would imagine there are some-- you worked with a lot of different directors. Yes. And there's some that are like cool. Oh, no. I know when to do it and when not. Well, who's the list of the yays in the nays? Like, of the-- Tony Gilroy is absolutely no. Yeah, no. So it would-- it would do a disservice. I would-- I would be messing-- There's a cold retreat to what-- I would be messing myself up. Yes. If I were to change even a comma or a period in Tony Gilroy, it would not be OK. I would ruin the rhythm of a whole thing. That's sorkin' level. You don't want to go near that. So I'm like, I know when to do it. Sure. Richard, link later. You explore everything in rehearsal. And you rewrite it and write it and rewrite it and write it. And then you explore more, you figure it out. And then once you get it, there is no improv on set. Oh, interesting. Zero. Not-- That's the whole point of all the rehearsal process everything. We get to the point where it's locked in. It's locked in. There's no questions on set. If there is a question on set, why didn't you ask it in rehearsal? Like, you really exhaust every possibility. And it's been one of the easiest movies I've been in. Because when you exactly were doing, we finished early. The mood on set was so light because nobody was figuring it out. I went to sleep in such peace because I knew what I did. I wasn't like, oh, man, I should have tried that. Oh, man, I had an instinct and didn't follow it. I followed every instinct. I felt so hard on some because you just have fun. And when I say that, we would go to places and record be like, what are you guys doing? And you just go to the craziest place because you're in a safe environment. Time is not part of the equation because we're in rehearsal. And we have all the time in the world. We have three weeks. Yeah, I've never seen like a filmmaker. I've never been on one of the sets. But like, you can kind of tell the vibe of a person related to their set. Like, my sense is like, he's such a chill. So chill. Like, everything about him emanates that. And you describing a set sounds like that is-- So chill. --rich a blink later. And so fun and funny and laid back. It's like, I'm like, is this work? Me and Gunn are like, are we working? This is weird. Doesn't feel like work. More happy, second fused coming up. You've got your favorite blanket, a freshly poured drink, and a cold case burning a hole in your streaming queue. You're not just watching True Crime. You're running the investigation from the comfort of your couch. Welcome to Murder, she watched. The podcast where we recap, dissect, and slightly overanalyze some of the best and craziest True Crime documentaries on our favorite streamers. Did the spouse do it? Why is the shady neighbor wearing leather gloves in July? Why did this guy agree to be interviewed in this documentary? We ask the tough questions that you're often just screaming at your TV. So every week, we break down the twists, red herrings, and absurd documentaries that have kept you up all night. It's high drama, cozy vibes, and absolute couch detective energy. Grab your throw blanket and hit subscribe. Search Murder, she watched, wherever you listen to podcasts, and let's solve this thing together. From the parents behind Law and Order, comes a mystery the whole family can enjoy. Patrick Picklebottom, Everyday Mysteries. Step into the whimsical world of Patrick Picklebottom, a precocious 11-year-old with a love for reading and an uncanny ability to solve mysteries. Inspired by the beloved children's book of the same name, this podcast vividly brings Patrick's tales of deduction and everyday adventures to life as he unravels baffling endigmas and solves clever cases. Patrick Picklebottom, Everyday Mysteries, is perfect for kids and is just as entertaining for grownups who love a good mystery. The whole family can listen now wherever you get your podcasts. - Okay, so let's go even further back. So growing up, what I know about you is dad very successful singer-songwriter. I don't know, like, where you want to or with him as a kid, 'cause you have that experience. I would imagine that has to be impactful for you, given where you ended up, like seeing your dad loving being on a stage, performing. Like in retrospect, does that imprint on you in a profound way you think to why you do what you do? - I think so. And to be fair, my biggest dream was always to be like a huge pop star. - That was the first one. - Yeah, that was like, I wanna be the next Britney Spears. - It's not too late. - And I can't sing. - Okay, it's too late. - It's too late, like I never had a shot. I never had a shot, but no one broke my dream until I think my brother, or I had like a recorder and I recorded myself singing and then I played it back. I was like, that can't be true. That can't be true, that's not me. And I did it again and I was like, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm bad. - Oh, I'm bad. - I'm really bad. Like, 12 or 13. I'm like, at this point I'd be singing non-soft. I'm like, I feel so bad for my family. - Like, where's my contract, guys? - I'm so sorry. - Yeah, now would you ask me to sing a song with you on stage. You're like, no, I'm a meat, that you're too young, or too young. I was like, no, I'm just really bad. No one wanted to help me. - No, that's sweet and sad at the same time. - That's so sad. - I worked out, I'm good. And I still sing, I sing all the time. - Really? - Badly, but I sing. - Hey. - I love to sing. - Don't rob yourself of that. - No, I sing in Switzerland. Michael Carina really did not believe that I couldn't sing. I'm trying. - You thought it was a bit, he thought it was-- - I'm trying. - This is peak. - Oh yeah. - This is like the best I've got. - Okay, well cross off Mamma Mia 3 for you. But you've got a lot of other things you can do. - Thank you. - Oh, back to the road, sorry. That's sort of, just because I clicked in my head for the, not for the first time, but like I've never really said this. I think adaptability is part of the process we were talking about earlier. And I think it's from being on the road and moving so much, having to be in different schools and meeting new friends and some people were older, younger, and from all sort of corners of the world, and you just sort of had to adapt. So I guess that's my, that's how I now look at it, sad? - Well, I was gonna say, I mean, as you described it, that's an actor's lifestyle. That's like, you know, going from one carnival to the next, joining one company to the next. So like that, whether you knew it or not, was kind of being ingrained into you. - It ingrained into me. And I'm so thankful because now I can, I don't know, I feel like I make little homes wherever I go. - Go. - Take a couple with you for the next one. Like, keep them in the phone, cut more friends. You seem to have not to blow you up for a second, but you have had really good taste in film and music. Like, just listening to some other interviews that you've given, like anybody that can like go from like, Adam Cade, John Cassavetes, and love them both, in equal parts, I respect. Anybody that can talk at length about, like, similar parodies, so I know he's comes out. - Love. - Love them, but be too. I mean, that's one of my, like, any more cloning is one of my all time. - Oh my God, you literally said anyone who got in like August Bumps, like that man. - That's the reason I love film, is that movie? - Yeah, I saw him. - And you know, I mean. - He performed here, Radio City, like, you know, 20 years ago, and my wife got me tickets we wanted, and it was pretty special. - I saw him too. I saw him in Budapest when I was doing Emerald City, and it was, I don't know if it was one of his last performances, but he was, you know, he looked pretty frail. - Oh yeah. - And it was funny how he took that, you know, so his dignity, let me rephrase that. There's something about that man, and that man's dignity that held so much power. He could barely walk, and he had like an assistant that would help him walk, and he was like, no, people are gonna wait for me to walk that. And he took a while to cross that stage, and we all stared in silence. He's like, when I was gonna help me, I'm gonna do it on my own, love it. And I don't know, I found that to be fascinating and so old, school, and elegant. - Do you listen to, it's like our movie soundtrack's part of your playlist? - Yeah, big term. - Like at the gym on a set in all contexts, like when are you listening and what are you listening to? What are your go-to's? - I mean, it's not about the use of a huge one. Last of the Mexicans is a huge one. - The last 15 minutes of that movie is basically the best ending of any movie ever. - It's amazing, right? - It's amazing. - There's no dialogue, essentially. - I agree with you. - 100%. - Yeah, I will listen to it on set. At the gym I don't, 'cause I'll drift. Like these, I feel like movie soundtrack sort of make me escape and go somewhere else, and imagine, which I guess is what they're supposed to do. So at the gym is not a good thing, if I'm like-- - You got it. (laughing) - Drop that weight on me. - Yeah. - I'll get really hurt. I'm already ADD though. - So trajectory of your early life, your, I guess, are you starting to get serious like in Miami, like, or did it take coming to New York and doing Lee Strasbourg where you kind of got serious about the acting? - I think I got serious in New York. I mean, in Miami I did too. I did Miami acting studio Ralph Kinnerd was my professor, and he was the one that pretty much pushed me to go to New York. He kind of kicked me out. And he was like, if you're staying in Miami, you're gonna do soaps, and I really believe that you got something. - Yeah, there's more here. - And there's more here. And he was the first person to tell me that I had something. I always thought I was, you know, I was really soft-spoken. I still kind of am sometimes. And acting was kind of developing this other side of me, and I was becoming more confident in things to acting. He was speaking up a little bit more. And that was how it kind of started, 'cause I was really shy. And then it turned into a way, I really loved this, and then I became obsessed. And I would watch three movies, and I was barely sleeping. I would come up with so many ideas that Miami acting studio, and Ralph was like, I think it's time for you to go. - So when he essentially kicks you out, or pushes you towards New York, you get here, as we mentioned, Lee Strasbourg happens, you're just training there. You're also doing side hustles. - Oh yeah, yeah. Every one side, I did them all. - I was a clown. - I was a clown at Little Kid's birthday parties. - Were you a good clown? - I think so. - I don't know. - Did you have a stick? - The mom's would always give me a tip. - That's a good sign. I never got kicked out. Yeah, that was one of them. I was a waitress for a restaurant here. I got fired because I mispronounced the name of the restaurant. It was 1,200 miles. I don't even think the restaurant definitely didn't exist. And I would answer the phone because I was a hostess. I would answer 1,200 miles. - That's not a big, whatever. - I know, but for months, I was like 1,200 miles. How can I help you? - 1,200 miles. - 1,200, and I was spiced it up too. I'm like 1,200, change the rhythm. They're like, it's 1,200. I'm like, okay, I don't understand that American thing of 1,400, 1,200. It will never make sense in my head for some reason. - I can't defend it. - Thank you. So I got fired for that. So now I heated it even more. You'll never hear me say 1,200. I always say 1,200. - You're scarred for life. Is there a scar? - Are there any children's birthday clown scars? Is there any, is that, was that a fun job? - That was so much fun. - Yeah, you're making kids happy. You're like-- - Kind of easy and really funny. I mean, kids are so incredibly honest that, you know, they'll humble you. - Yeah. - That's for sure. - Yeah. - They're like, the painting you did on my face sucks. I'm like, you're not wrong. - Yeah, you need a director to be that direct. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. - What you just did, sucked. - So I can work with NU director. I've worked with kids. - I got it. I'm, I'm, I'm safe. - Is it safe to say, is it true detective essentially kind of the first big major job that really changed everything? - Yeah. - Does anything ever equate to you? Look, you've had a lot of like really great phone calls, emails, et cetera. The last five, six years I would imagine, especially. But like that first job, that first kind of like major thing, that you kind of like, as I understand it, kind of manifested, kind of chased. Like when you get that. - Yeah, it was huge. - Right? - It was huge. I was with my dad in Mexico. And I think you've had just gone off a show or something and we're having dinner. And I could not, the whole restaurant found out about that I got to respect it. Like I was so, I could not, I really could not believe it. 'Cause the story of that was they were looking at a list of names. Like they were like, oh, we have a list of like really famous actresses. And obviously at not a single IMDB credit, nothing. I had just done narcos. - Yep. - But it was weird 'cause it was, it was at the beginning of Netflix, nobody really understood what Netflix was. So it didn't feel as big as, you know, HBO true detective. I know season two, I had a lot of season one. - Yeah, I'm coming off of that first season, which was a phenomenon. - Yeah, I can't believe episode five is one of my favorite TV episodes ever. I think that chase is, that sequence is amazing. - So I think the one or your- - The one or your- - It was the first time anybody had done a one or like on TV or something. I could be wrong, but I had never seen it. - Yeah. - Yeah, and I pretended to be my manager and I got my, that role. - You do a voice? Are you just doing like a- - Yeah, I just did like a more serious version of my voice, I'm really focused on no accent. - 1,200- - 1,200 Adria Aljona. I probably said, I probably mispronounced my own name. - It's just like- - Intentionally. - You're like, "Ejria is such a great actor." (laughs) How do you pronounce the last "Ejiona"? I believe. I'll get back to you in that one. - Yeah, I did the self-tape sentence and then when they called me, I was just like, I couldn't believe it. - This actually worked. - Oh, I also lied and said I was a local hire. - Right. - So I wasn't out of the New York. They filmed in LA. So I'm like, "Great, now I have to move to LA." And my mom's like, "No, you don't. "We just have to book yourself a hotel." - Yeah, extended stay. - Extended stun or whatever. And I was like, "Um, and then I kind of calculated it." And I was like, "That's too expensive." - Yeah. - So I moved to LA and I was like, "I'm going to move to LA." And it was my big moment. I got this, the cheapest hotel in downtown, which ended up crazily having a bomb there, a bomb threat when I was there. So we got kicked out of there and that, yeah, I was really scary. - Yeah. - Not for my mom, for some reason. - She was cool, did she say that? - I was like, "I gotta go upstairs and get myself." [BLANK_AUDIO] I was like mom we got to get out of here. There's like something really serious happening. There's cops everywhere and my mom's like No, and she got it in in the elevator to and when And it brought me with her and we took our time packing the room I was like, what are you doing right now? This is crazy. What's happening? And we love she's like, well now we don't have to come back I was like mom, we were never coming back There's a threat in this hotel. So that was like my whole build character though. Yeah, that was my welcome to LA More happy second fused coming up Hi, I'm Whitney and I'm Katie and we're the hosts of true crime campfire We set out to make a true crime podcast. We'd want to listen to we get right to the story We don't do a lot of extra talk in and when we do it's usually to roast the short hairs off of some loser murderer or scammer you laugh, but only at the people who deserve it like which serial killer would you most like to shove into a locker BTK and his off of poetry dude got caught cuz he didn't understand what a floppy disc was We look for the stranger than fiction stories like the case of patty James a killer catfish before the internet was even a thing or Howard Wombsley a sentient wad of damp laundry who convinced his town he'd won the lottery fleeced local businesses out of thousands and then became a romance scammer We've covered tons of cases you've never heard of cults scammers killers So come find your next great binge listen to true crime campfire on Apple podcasts Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts new episodes every Friday Do you love Disney? Do you love top 10 lists? Then you're going to love our podcast Disney countdown Hi, I'm Megan the magical millennial and biscuits. I'm Jeremy AKA Jerandell and we are the hosts of the hit Disney podcast Disney countdown On every episode of our fun and family-friendly show we count down our top 10 lists of all things Disney the parks the movies the music the food the Lower there is nothing we don't cover on our show, right Jeremy? Oh, girl, you know we are famous for rabbit holes dizzy themed games and fun facts You didn't know you needed but you definitely need in your life So if you are looking for a healthy dose of dizzy magic check out Disney countdown wherever you get your podcasts Was this so give me timeline was this belko happened around here? Yeah, not yet. No, not yet. Belko came I believe if I'm not mistaken it was But yeah, it was belko right after okay now in this timeline. I did some research You've had some close calls. Is it true? You almost got the solo role the Kira roll that eventually went to Amelia Clark I did some research I figured it out Well, I said I was I Guess I'm confessing this. Um, I've always said it was a Star Wars show. I've heard you say that I did some math did some research. I figured I cracked. Oh, so no one's told you I just confessed No, no you didn't that to be honestly to be clear. They're actually it was reporting at the time that listed your name as the Yeah, and funny enough I worked with Phil and Chris for those three keys, right. Yeah, I worked with them. They gave me my first well Tyler Nelson Nelson a Michael Schwartz and Phil and Chris gave me my first producing credit. So Can you take me through at least what that audition the audition process was were you there with Phil and Chris? Were you reading with other actors? Yeah, I was with Alden yeah, and it was Phil and Phil and Chris were there again. Yeah, and it was I was I don't think I've ever been So nervous in my life. They put you in a suit and like my biggest dream Ever was to be in the Star Wars movie, you know, I had I hadn't necessarily seen a Latin American Roman like myself in Star Wars, so it was like a big it almost felt like I had to break that wall or at least somebody else Or another Latin American should break that one. Yeah, and I would always root for them But to be testing it's like, oh my god, it's gonna it's gonna be me Well, that's the thing when you go through something like that and you come close It's like you start to imagine like this is the next five years in my life next ten years I've got three solo movies coming up for me was that like at that stage in your career like a tough pill to swallow to No, I never thought about like the sequels or anything. It was more the emotional attachment of Will I ever be in just Star Wars? Like I just wanted to be in Star Wars and the fact that I had the opportunity to be a leading character in a Star Wars movie was like Wow, this would be insane. I didn't think too much of it But yeah, and then I mean they got it and she's Probably one of the best actors is out there. She's amazing. It all worked out. Oh my god. It makes total sense Yes, that that makes that makes more sense and they did it and I'm so thankful that I didn't get it Yeah, you wouldn't have got it. I wouldn't have done it. Yeah, I'm and or and Bix is, you know, the only character of tattooed on my body What's the tattoo? It's just a little X. You can barely even see it looks. I have so many moles. I look like a chip so whole I do now that I said it no one's gonna unsee it Well, forgive it. Okay, so let's jump ahead since you mentioned and or because I mean I like many it was obsessed with what you guys and Tony Achieved on that like he did the podcast like the smartest man on the planet intimidatingly smart like so smart Like truly. I know. That's why I listen to everything he tells me Yeah, and I do everything. I'm like, yes sir. Mm-hmm. I call him before every every job. Yeah He's old now a lifelong kind of mentor and he's Incredibly busy Incredibly smart his family. He has a whole life. He has these in the editing room constantly. No, he just directed a movie Which I can't wait to see And he will always answer a phone call in the first two rings like He's the classic man in the industry. Yeah, so was that the arc of that character? Did you know it for right from the start or was that an evolution in terms of like did you know? I mean literally last shot of the series is this you spoiler alert Um, when did you know kind of the extent of like where Bix would end up? I knew months before We started filming Season two. Yeah, he but he everything Tony says he Delivers. There's never any if Tony tells you something. That's exactly how he's gonna do it Yeah, he's like the least BS guy in the planet. There's a BS right so he's like a list and well when I signed up for the show for season Um, I hadn't read it and I was like well Tony with all due respect how can you expect me to sign up to something if I haven't read anything Yeah, and you know, he's like trust me. This is the character whatever and and he trusted me and he gave me the first three Episodes to read this was after I audition and got the role and the whole thing um, I was like well, I need to don't I need to do something? Yeah Um, he sent me the script and then he told me he's like this character will change your life and This is sort of where this character is gonna go and everything He told me on that phone call happened and then when it comes to season two obviously we expected to do Four seasons or whatever and the structure changed the picture change, but even those beats that he promised me they were there He made sure that they were in there um somehow Um, so I respect that a lot from him. So yeah, I knew I knew quite Early do you feel like the impact? I mean you were talking you've talked before about like you know Seeing someone like that looks like yourself in that context in the Star Wars universe like I would imagine you've had that experience now On the other side of it. I've seen like young girls. Oh my god. Say something to you. That must be extraordinarily good. Oh No, I thought you meant seeing more Latin America like younger Latin American actresses Well, that too, but even just like have you encounter I would imagine you encounter young Women young aspiring actors that now have you as a model. Oh my god. That's so scary No pressure. No pressure man. I hope I don't fuck up Um, yeah, I have I have and it's super Inspiring the questions that they ask and um Yeah, I've met I've met a few. I've also met just fans to be like thank you for you know representing us and being someone Then I'm like, oh, that could be me. Yeah Yeah, it's it's always really exciting, but also Terrifying right that's the like you don't want to have that on you when you're doing the job certainly Can there be more Latin American actresses that they can look up to them too? Spread the wealth. Yeah, exactly I don't be the one person. I mean we're now I feel like you're every year we're more and more and more And I see so many talented actresses just pop off and it's so exciting. I mean it's it's I'm for them Okay, a bunch of random things for you um You're you're you're part of the fortnight world in a very strange way I was the first skin that's what I as I understand it. So that was just another job as like back then I would imagine you had no idea what that was No, no the game hadn't come out nothing had come out. They were under like crazy budget restrictions It was like it felt like filming in an indie Like they're like what maybe it'll work maybe won't and then I didn't mostly for my little brother And then he didn't play it until years later. I was like thanks to You should did this for you. Have you played fortnight? Are you a gamer? Mm-hmm not I'm like really bad at technology. That's okay. I'm I know but I'm like desperately trying to be a Gen Z and Technology is like not My friends, so I don't know how that works. You don't have to. You're part of it. You don't have to do the thing. You did the thing, rather. You don't have to play the thing. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. Thank you for that. I don't know. I don't know. Is there a silver lining? I've talked to Matt Smith as a buddy of mine. I've talked to him. He made it more obvious a lot. It is what it is. It maybe didn't turn out the way everybody wanted. I don't know. I want to put words into your mouth. What's the silver lining of more obvious if there is one for you? I got her. I got her. I found the spot. You live in you. You live in you learn? I was a great experience. Sure. It wasn't a multi. It was a great experience. I got to meet Matt. I think it's funny. Yeah. I think if you look at it with eyes of comedy, I think there's sparks in there. Yeah. I'm not. I'm not so sure. Well, as I told Matt, you should know, I was on a flight once, and I was sitting behind Keanu Reeves, and he was watching Morpheus on a plane, so. Don't write my heart. I mean. I think Keanu Reeves is amazing. He's like, then I've never met him. He seems so lovely. And I really want him to think I'm like, like, good. Yeah. I don't think he thinks I'm good. Well, it's not good there. What's not good? We'll get him some other movies. I'm going to get him some other stuff. We're going to get his emo and start. We're like, "What's this?" I did our split spill. Can we give some love to split spill? Because not enough people, I love split spill. I love split spill. It was so much fun. Michael, Covino, is the wildest, vaniest, most beautiful person I've ever met. He's the best. He came to the onslaught premiere to support Kyle and him, did. Yeah. You've done a disproportionate amount of, like in a time where we're kind of like getting more conservative, like sexy films. Like, I mean, truly, like Thomas Crown of Fair looks like the sexiest film which, 2027, like, what's it all essentially, a sex comedy? Yeah. I don't really have a question here except like, Josh, I'm kind of sexy. I'm kidding. I'll go. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. That was disgusting. It's wonderful. It's our poll quote. That's right. That's how you're going to start your interview. Obviously. That's what I got it. I did that to myself. It's okay. You did it. Anytime your buddy, Jason's asked about you. That's all he says about you. She's hot. She's hot. Yeah, I don't have the question. What's that? What's not? Well, to be fair, I think Splitsville is absolutely wild. And I loved the conversation of open relationships and how Michael and Kyle sort of tackled that. I thought that was amazing. Hitman, I think, is like a romantic comedy thriller. And in a moment where romantic comedies felt like they were never going to come back. Because the genres were being flipped and switched. I read Hitman and I was like, oh, I get it. Richard Link leader figured out a way to bring this sort of genre back. And then so many people not have done what Hitman did. But in different ways, you know, have reinvented it for for themselves. And I think it was a cool discovery of like, oh, romantic comedies that we knew don't necessarily work as well. And then there was a time there where like, the man was the woman and the woman was the man. And we would watch him be like, I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to be that girl. This is weird. Totally. So I felt fresh and exciting and a little bit riskier. So I chose that. On set, it's not very sexy. It's not very sexy. It's not sexy at all. It's true to somebody. And so there's something for everybody. And then Thomas Crown. You know, Thomas Crown is such a, it's such an iconic film and then getting to be directed by Michael and getting to work alongside Michael. I was like, yeah, and it's just like cat and mouse dynamic. And I had never played that. It should be said, for those who don't know. I mean, you had to jump into that too. That must be a tough experience as an actor. I mean, jumping in midstream. And that's a high profile film, a lot of pressure on Michael and the whole crew. Was it kind of, I can't imagine it was easy, but can you talk a little bit about like jumping into that? Yeah, it was challenging. I got the role. I got on a plane. I think it was like a Saturday, landed a Sunday on Monday. I was on camera on a pretty easy day, but with a crew that's, you know, they didn't have a movie the day before. So the tension was on and I remember. I did my first shot and I got in a plus, like a welcoming a plus from the crew, which was the nicest thing any crew has ever done for me. And I felt welcomed right away. We did play catch-up for a second. You know, there was a lot of stuff that I was rereading the script every night. There was costume fittings, it's that. But Michael has such a beautiful energy when he films. He kind of makes you feel at ease and that he's got your back, no matter what. So I was able to jump into it, you know. I was like, man, I'm ESL. It's a lot of lines. I need more time. And he's like, you got this. And because he just kept reinforcing the fact that I had it, I was like, okay, okay, you're right, you're right. Well, that trailer loses more than confidence behind the camera. Like that guy's got shots. Oh, yeah, he's insanely talented in front of the camera and off camera, he's incredible. He's such a good director too. Let's see, what other film should I ask you about? I think this is what we're running out of time. I think we know it's not that much time. I think it might be lunch. Lock the doors. Okay, I'm not going to get you into trouble, don't worry. Oh, good, good. I'm just going to play with this for a second. So you've wrapped Man of Tomorrow. We're all very excited about this. This is James Guns' new film. This is the Superman sequel. A couple of questions. And you know, I'm not out to get you in trouble. I promise you. Did you know what role you were auditioning for when you went in? Um, yeah. Okay. Did you, we're not going to say what character you're playing? Because who knows? It could be Maxima. Okay. Coffee. No, no, no. I'm just going to say, here's here's some context for you. I don't know if you're buddy, Jason, who I've talked to him for many years, Momoa. Where's Jason? Jason Momoa. Oh, Jason, my buddy, he's not my buddy. Jason Momoa, many years ago, I talked to when he was cast as Aquaman. The rumors were going around. And I said to him, there's just a rumor going around that you're Aquaman and he denied it. And he said to me, Josh, I'm not Aquaman. You can punch me in the face if I'm lying to you. I've heard this. I was that guy. I'm that guy. And he let me punch him many years later. I mean, I bought them that I'm not going to punch that guy. I'm not, I don't want any physical violence here. Don't get me wrong. But I'm just saying for context, I don't want to make a bet. I'll bet you $500 you were playing Wonder Woman. Okay. And what about Maxima? You got to give one for one. So I'll give you $100. I'll give you $500 if you're playing Maxima. It feels like you're going to lose either way. You're giving me $500. I'll take this bet. I like to do it. No, wait, wait, wait. If I play Maxima, I get $500. If I play Wonder Woman, I get the $500. I get the $500. Oh, you get the $500. Yes. Would you take that bet with me? $500. Yeah. It's a lot of money. We can do it for charity. We can do it like, you know. Yeah. I like the charity element of it. You want, you know, we'll take that bet. $500 you donate to one of my charities. Exactly. $500 I donate to one of your charities. It feels like. This is a win-win, right? Win-win. No matter what happens. I contact. I'm broken, I can't. Okay. Without saying a thing about the character, this was a fun experience. This is a full circle moment for you. You've worked with James and Peter way back when on Belko. Did it feel a little bit like, I don't know. It's a big set to be on. It's a lot of pressure, but still. No, it felt pretty full circle. It felt really cool to just be. I have my little. I don't know if you can see my purse, but I have my little chain. You can see Superman. They gave it to me. Yeah, it felt really full circle. In an interesting way, I think we're the same people. I've known Peter for a really long time. I've known James for a really long time. They're so incredibly successful. They're like the head of DC. They're all, you know. They just seem like the same cool, funny people. Yeah. And I felt really refreshing to. I mean, I've seen them throughout the years. Of course, then we've caught up throughout the years, but to see. I hadn't been on a set with them. And it's always nice to go back on a set that you in which you know people. Of course. You know, it happened only to me and Andorra. Did that happen where I got back and I was like, "Oh, I know everybody here." And it feels really refreshing and you're like, "Okay, I'm safe." Especially if you're playing an iconic character. You want that security blanket. Would you say your costume is epic, iconic? Do you like your costume in the film? You could say that if you're playing Maxima. I love. I love. Unbroken eye contact. What happened to that? Hello. Over here. Do you like your costume? I'm not asking you to. You shot the film. They can't fire you. Peter and James. You're killing me. I'll let you go after this. I promise. I love my costume. Cool. Really like my costume. Okay. Can't wait to see it. Both great costumes. What does that mean? Both, meaning both characters. Yeah, if you are a fan of the comic. Both of them. Big Maxima fan over here. Huge. They have great characters, they have great costumes. I can talk. - Yeah, we're good. - I'm gonna do the rest of this interview in Spanish. - It's only got hot in here, right? Okay, we're gonna end with this. I'll let you go, I promise. Happy second to your family random questions. How are you feeling? You good? - Oh my God, are you kidding me? And you're just fucking with me. - One might say you're fucking with me. - I'm not. - I'm so into secrecy. I hate secrets. I'm so mad at them. - Sounds like the wrong line of work. Okay. For family random questions. - Yes. - Dogs or cats? - Oh, dogs. - Okay. What do you collect? - I collect the Viennese wood corsets. I. - That's a first here. I haven't heard that one before. - I love them, I think they're amazing. I collect all sorts of kind of little things. Anything orange, I will buy. - That's your color? - That is my color, yeah. - Okay. Do you have a favorite video game of all time? Not Fortnite? - I don't play video games. But I do, I did like Pac-Man. - Okay. Classic. I'll have you know Dakota Johnson asked me this. I ask everybody this question. Would you rather have a mouthful of bees or one being your butt? - She asked you that question? - Yeah. - I know. - Maybe in my mouth. - Wow. - My already. - I don't want. - That's fine. - I don't want that. - Okay. We're not going to do it. - I don't want that. - Okay. What's the wallpaper on your phone? - My niece. - Lovely. Last actor you were mistaken for? - Jessica Alba. Great. By the way, please. I hope it happens more. It like lifted my ego for a really long time. I said yes. I was like seeing. - Yeah. - Yes. - Since city. Great, right? Can I kill it? - Wasn't I amazing and honey? I honestly, I felt like. - I went to your books. - Yeah. It made my day. - What's the worst note a director has ever given you? - Oh. Oh, this is really bad. - Do that with less of an accent and less domesticated? - That isn't good. - It's horrible. - That's not good. - It was somebody overheard it and it was a problem. I didn't say nothing. I was like, okay, whatever. But yeah, I was-- - That's really in the career, I would imagine. - Yes, yes, yes. It was like a scene where-- And it was in a house. And I was like organizing or whatever before I said my line. He was like less accent, less domesticated. So I was like, great. Be less Latina is what you're talking about. - Yeah. - Awesome. - Cool, cool. - What was the relationship like after that? - I mean, with ignorance, you just have to-- You're like-- - You're not going to-- - Ah, man. We're like, all right. Well, now I'm not going to listen to it. - Now I know. - Anything you tell me. - Exactly. - Yeah. - Good to know. - No notes from you anymore, sir. - Finally, in the spirit of happy second fuse, an actor always makes you happy. - Well, Pharaoh. - Yes. - Love him. - Or Jack Black. - Amazing. Well, though it's just here. And it's magical. And that's it. - And this-- - It's the best. - That's a dream of mine is to meet him. But I'm also scared to move. - He's exactly what you want him to be. He's the best. - A movie that makes you sad. - A movie that makes me sad. Oh man, there's so many. It's hard to pick one. - I mean, some of my parodies. So this is one of mine. - It kind of, it's, I don't know. It makes me hopeful for a cinema. And it's so beautiful in so many ways. The last movie that made me cry was Project Hill Mary. That kind of broke my heart. It was so beautiful. - It's such a job, right? - But not sad. It didn't make me sad. A movie makes me sad. The notebook. - Yeah. Apparently Ryan Gosling movies make you cry. - Apparently Ryan Gosling makes me cry. - It's our warning for today. It's got that special something. And finally, a food that makes you confused. - Food that makes me confused. - You don't get it. Why do we bleed that? I don't, just not for you. - I don't understand eggplant. - Okay. - Let's come up a lot here. - Yeah. I don't like anything of it. - Is it the texture of the look? - I hate the texture. I don't like the look. I don't like it. (laughing) - Yeah, eggplant is not, I think, beets too. I don't get it. Why would you do that to yourself? If you were confused about it. - Yeah. - When you were eating it. - Yeah. - And then after you're eating it, you also get confused. - Before during and after. Why would you do that again? - Yeah. - Not me. - And then add cheese to it, cycle. - You could add chocolate. I would still hate it. I don't care. - No. Go cheese and beets. No, not for me. Do you feel good about what we did here today? - Yeah. - 90% of it at least. We've been on a roller coaster, an emotion. Hopefully I didn't get you fired. - I'm okay. - You didn't do anything. It's okay. - This was harder than filming on site. - Wow. And I know enough of this movie to know that's a lot. Good full circle. You brought us back. Congratulations on onslaught. - Thank you. - Yeah, you're well trained. Everybody check it out. Support, Andrea, Adam Wingard, the whole company. Great to connect with you tonight. - Thank you. - Thank you for the time. - We did it. - You're so good. - But you didn't get me. - Support. - Not this time. (upbeat music) And so ends another edition of Happy, Sad, Confused. Remember to review, rate, and subscribe to this show on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm a big podcast person. I'm Daisy Ridley and I definitely wasn't. - Did it? It's my job. (laughing) - How did this happen? My name's Mandy and I'm Melissa and we're the host of Moms and Mysteries, the True Crime Podcast with over 55 million downloads. We're two Florida moms who are obsessed with mysteries. Each week we do deep dives into fascinating true crime stories. We cover everything from infamous cases like Casey Anthony, to the bizarre and complex crimes right here in our home state, like the shocking murder of FSU professor Dan Marquell. We bring you the facts, but with warmth and width, you'd only get from two friends who have been hooked on mysteries since childhood. Join us for new episodes of Moms and Mysteries every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen to Moms and Mysteries on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.