Glen Powell, Adria Arjona Bring Chemistry to Linklater’s ‘Hit Man’

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — In January 2022, actors Glen Powell and Adria Arjona met at the San Vicente Bungalows in West Hollywood to discuss their potential roles in Richard Linklater‘s seductive thriller, *Hit Man*. The film, co-written by Powell and Linklater, is based on a Texas Monthly article by Skip Hollandsworth about a professor who posed as a hitman to entrap those seeking murder-for-hire services.

“This [casting] is fully [dependent] on chemistry,” Linklater had warned Arjona before the meeting. By the end of their five-hour conversation, which began with water but quickly escalated to mezcal, the chemistry was undeniable. Powell and Arjona sent a selfie to Linklater, confirming their connection. “It felt like we had been old friends,” Powell said.

The film follows Gary Johnson (Powell), a psychology professor who moonlights as a fake hitman, and Madison (Arjona), a woman who initially seeks his services but later falls for him. Powell, known for *Top Gun: Maverick* and *Anyone But You*, was drawn to the story’s exploration of identity. “We kind of know who we are, and [there are] some things we like about ourselves and some things we don’t,” he explained.

Linklater, who first cast Powell in *Fast Food Nation* when the actor was 14, initially hesitated about adapting the Texas Monthly article. “We found this one little line in the article about this woman who was meeting Gary Johnson to kill her husband, and Gary didn’t go for blood,” Powell recalled. That moment became the kernel of the story.

Arjona, known for roles in *Morbius* and *Andor*, faced the challenge of making Madison both sympathetic and complex. “You have to buy into her humanity first and foremost,” Powell said. “Otherwise, this movie doesn’t work at all.”

During three weeks of rehearsals at Powell’s New Orleans home, the trio bonded over dad jokes and script dissections. Arjona even suggested Madison dress as a sexy flight attendant in one scene. “Failing with two people makes you really close to them!” she said.

Powell praised Arjona’s contributions to the script and character. “She is a very smart writer and filmmaker in her own right,” he said. “[Madison] could have fallen into genre tropes, but she never let it go there.”

The film’s steamy scenes were made easier by the trio’s camaraderie. “People don’t realize those scenes aren’t the [most fun] scenes to film,” Arjona said, laughing about Powell’s “14 abs.”

Arjona wrapped filming before Powell completed his scenes, which involved multiple wigs and accents. On her last day, Linklater gifted her the boots she wore in the film. “I couldn’t stop crying,” she recalled. “I kept saying, ‘I just need to be back on set with you guys.’”

*Hit Man* promises to be a genre-blending thriller, with Linklater describing it as “a mix of film noir and a sexy thriller.” The film is set to captivate audiences with its unique story and undeniable on-screen chemistry.