Chloe Kern/WireImage | A24
Adria Arjona's new film Onslaught channels iconic 80s action movies
Ellen Ripley. Sarah Connor. Furiosa. The Bride. Princess Leia. Trinity. Foxy Brown. Katniss Everdeen. Black Widow. These are just some of the most iconic action heroines that have graced the big screen over the decades.
In her new film Onslaught, Adria Arjona looks to add her name to that pantheon as she stars in the badass throwback 80s slasher as Celeste and, over the course of the film, utilizes multiple guns, lights numerous fires, wields a chainsaw, and nearly loses an eye.
Channeling fierce motherhood in Onslaught and if that changed her perspective on her own childhood
Speaking to BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast ahead of the release of Onslaught — hitting theaters on Friday, September 4 — Arjona opened up about portraying ferocious motherhood, what it taught her about her own childhood, and the iconic action heroines she aimed to emulate with her performance.
Spoke with Adria Arjona about playing a fearless, ferocious mother in her new action film ONSLAUGHT and whether it helped her learn anything about her own mother that she previously didn’t understand 🎙️
Full interview 📲 https://t.co/IIw2ipnLjS pic.twitter.com/qdB0CEAxCj
— Eric Italiano (@ericitaIiano) September 3, 2026
ERIC ITALIANO, BROBIBLE: Onslaught is an action-packed film, but I was most focused on just the fierceness of the type of Mom that you played. And I’m curious if playing this sort of character caused you to reflect on your own childhood and your own mom — and if you gained any new perspective from being in her shoes.
ADRIA ARJONA: Yeah, I think — to be honest, I think every mom is feral when it comes to their child. It’s like, you do not mess with a mom’s baby.
And trying to channel that was hard, because I — you know, I don’t, I don’t have a — obviously I’m not a mom. But I was 18 years old when my little brother was born. So I feel like that gave me everything I needed. I almost feel like I had a baby at 18. He’s the love of my life. He’s now 16 years old. So I held on to that pretty tightly.
And yeah, I mean — I come from a family of a lot of women, and a lot of ferocious, badass, strong, funny, loving women. And I think, you know, stealing a little bit from everybody kind of helped me play this role, for sure.
Similarities to Terminator 2 and what makes an iconic action heroine
EI: I know that this is very much inspired by ’80s action films, but I don’t know if you specifically realize how much it was like Terminator 2. You’ve got a badass chick hiding in a desert trailer park, fighting killing machines, Michael Biehn, an ’80s synth score, and even your haircut. What do you think are some of the key aspects of an iconic action heroine? And do you have any personal favorites?
AA: I mean — Sarah Connor. Sarah Connor was like my north star through all of this. I was like, that’s where I’m going. I mean, and I did watch TERMINATOR 2. What do you need? I think you just need to be fearless. You need to be strong. Try not to be so tough, but just be strong — because that’s what female heroines do. And yeah, just be ferocious. It was so fun. Honestly, it’s one of the most fun I’ve had on set, for sure. You get to do anything you kind of want in this genre.
EI: Even be absolutely covered in blood — which I’m sure was a less fun day.
Adam Wingard’s Onslaught, which will be released in theaters by A24 on Friday, September 4, also stars Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Michael Biehn, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall alongside Arjona. You can check out the official trailer below.