Life of the Party star Adria Arjona is somewhat new to the comedy world, having starred in more dramatic roles in projects such as Emerald City, True Detective and Pacific Rim: Uprising, but as she tells The Hollywood Reporter In Studio, co-star Melissa McCarthy was the ideal mentor for the actress on set.
Arjona also discussed preparing for her role in Pacific Rim: Uprising, as well as starring alongside Hollywood’s most handsome men in the upcoming Triple Frontier. Starring as Jules Reyes in action-packed Pacific Rim: Uprising was “nerve-wracking and exciting all at once” for the actress and required serious preparation for her role as an officer in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. She discussed her trip to San Diego to tour the USS Midway and even her opportunity to fly with the Blue Angels.
Related Stories
“It was a really cool experience of exploration of a character because I actually got to feel what these pilots would eventually feel, which that kind of changed my perspective,” she said. “Also, the dynamics in a military base, how that kind of works. I had no idea.”
Upon wrapping Pacific Rim, Arjona jumped straight into her next role, which didn’t involve flying through the sky with the Blue Angels — starring alongside McCarthy in Life of the Party.
“It was just so exciting to be in a room with Melissa McCarthy,” she said. “Melissa’s such a wonderful actress and woman, and she kind of just held my hand and took me along the ride. So I learned so much in Life of the Party and most of it was just me not laughing.”
Next, audiences will see Arjona sharing the screen with Charlie Hunnam, Ben Affleck and Garrett Hedlund in Triple Frontier. The film has undergone numerous casting changes over the past year, with Channing Tatum and Tom Hardy originally signed on. “To be completely honest with you, I think everything happens for a reason, and I think the cast is stronger and better than it could have ever been,” she said. “It just feels right.”
Life of the Party is in theaters now.
