Adria Arjona asks if Hollywood should ‘cancel method acting’ after troubling co star experience

Arjona says the actor appeared charming in interviews despite behaving very differently behind the scenes

Adria Arjona has opened up about a deeply uncomfortable experience with an unnamed co star, revealing that the actor’s behaviour on set left her stunned and questioning how such conduct could be tolerated in Hollywood.

The actress made the comments while appearing on Scene Stealers with John Feitelberg, where she revisited several of her most recognisable performances, including Hit Man, Andor, Blink Twice and Splitsville. The conversation eventually moved towards difficult working relationships and the different standards applied to actors behind the scenes.

Arjona said she has not experienced a particularly difficult relationship with a director, but recalled working with one actor whose behaviour struck her as an extraordinary display of ego. She did not identify the performer and deliberately avoided revealing whether the person was a man or a woman.

She described being genuinely shocked that the behaviour appeared to have few consequences, while also admitting that she found the contrast fascinating.

Arjona explained that she would later watch interviews with the actor and see someone who appeared friendly and pleasant in public. That difference between the person presented to audiences and the individual she encountered during production made the experience even more intriguing to her.

The actress also questioned why someone who was capable of behaving warmly in public would choose to behave so differently around colleagues. Her comments focused on the broader issue of professional conduct in the entertainment industry rather than identifying the individual involved.

The discussion then turned towards method acting, prompting Arjona to make her most pointed remarks.

"Can we cancel method acting? Because there are a lot of assholes in there," she said, arguing that the label can sometimes be used to excuse behaviour that would otherwise be unacceptable. Arjona made clear that she does not believe an actor should be allowed to mistreat colleagues simply because they are committed to a particular acting process.

She also raised a gender issue, arguing that women in the industry would face harsher professional consequences if they behaved in the same way. Arjona said she rarely sees women receive the same freedom to behave badly under the banner of artistic commitment.

"I will never see a woman say she’s a method actor," she said, adding that women would be unlikely to receive the same tolerance for difficult conduct.

The remarks have already prompted online speculation about the identity of the unnamed actor. Some social media users have attempted to connect Arjona’s comments to performers she has previously worked with, including Jared Leto, her co star in Morbius. However, Arjona did not name Leto, did not identify the actor’s gender and did not confirm that the person she described was a method actor. Any attempt to definitively identify the individual therefore remains speculation.

Arjona is currently promoting Onslaught, the A24 action thriller directed by Adam Wingard. She stars as an Army sniper who must protect her young daughter after genetically engineered super soldiers escape into the desert. A24 lists Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey and Rebecca Hall among the film’s cast.