Written by and starring Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin – along with Adria Arjona and Dakota Johnson – dark comedy Splitsville is a fun and pithy romp that seamlessly careens from laugh-out-loud absurdity to pure tragedy as it examines two couples’ non-monogamous relationships.
When free-spirited life coach Ashley, played by Adria, tells her unsuspecting husband Carey, played by Kyle, that she wants a divorce, to say that the mild-mannered primary school gym teacher reacts badly is an understatement.
Running – or rather fleeing, complete with some swimming and a bit of bush-bashing – to his best friends’ beach house, he seeks a shoulder to cry on. What he finds is something else entirely: Paul, played by Michael, and Julie, played by Dakota, reveal that the secret to their happy marriage has been opening up their relationship.
“It’s probably one of the best opening scenes I’ve ever read from a script,” Adria tells WHO.
“Just so much chaos happens in the first 15 pages that you’re like, ‘What the f**k am I doing?’” she continues. “That was sort of what sold me. Then, I kept reading it and it was one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read.
“Honestly, this movie was such a no brainer for me. I usually take so long to say yes, because movies are just such a big commitment. But this one, the first few pages, I was in.”
Naturally, things go from confusing to downright complicated when Carey and Julie sleep together – leading to a hilarious fight scene between the two men after Carey comes clean.
As it turns out, for all their bravado, the couple might not be quite as OK with their spouse sleeping with other people as they make out.
The film marks the latest big-screen project for Adria, who is making waves in Hollywood following starring roles in films Morbius (2022), Father of the Bride (2022), Hit Man (2023) and Blink Twice (2024), and TV series Andor (2022-2025).
WHO caught up with the 33-year-old, who in real life is in a committed relationship with fellow actor Jason Momoa, to talk about why the movie was such a “no brainer” for her, what it means to finally have a seat at the table, and her own aspirations to step behind the camera.
Read the full interview below.
WHO: The opening scene of Splitsville is fantastic – it’s shocking, then hilarious. Did you have any doubt that it would translate to the screen?
Adria: It’s rare that a script kind of does that on its own. Usually, it needs a little bit extra help – with cinematography, with actors – but this script sort of already had it. So I felt a bit more confident than I have in other films. I’m just really happy that people are enjoying it.
Ashley’s already teetering on the edge, but the culmination of that scene really makes her reconsider being married to Carey. Could you relate to her at all?
Not really. But that’s kind of what I love about this character. And I try to pick characters that I don’t necessarily relate to or that sometimes I might even judge at first, because then it makes me go through this empathetic journey of really finding out the psychology of the character and justifying certain things.
Is there an epic blooper reel floating around somewhere that might see the light of day at some point?
Oh, good God. And it’s probably all me! There probably is. I mean, I’m sure there are from that fight scene that Mike and Kyle have. When you do a comedy, you improv so much, and sometimes things go completely the opposite direction than what you intended.
You were also an executive producer – was that a hands-on role for you?
You know, I think as an executive producer, you have a seat at the table, which is great. And I’m thankful enough that the directors that I’ve worked for in the past couple years, they want me in that role, but it gives you a little bit more creative freedom.
But I trust Michael and Kyle so deeply that, yeah, it was heavy lifting in the creative process, but once you’re making the movie, you have to trust who you’re making the movie with. So in this one I definitely stepped back.
You’re not someone who could easily be pigeonholed in your career – every role you’ve played has been very different. Is that a conscious decision?
You know, independent cinema has really allowed me to shapeshift, to play different characters, to play in different fields – and that’s so much more fun. I’m a Latin American woman, and I think if I were just to be all in the mainstream films, I would be, like, just one thing. And I think genre and independent cinema have really saved me from that, and I’m forever thankful. I just want to keep growing and keep challenging my artistry as much as I can.
You’ve been acting for more than a decade but it feels like in the last couple of years you’ve really been everywhere. Does it feel like all your hard work is finally paying off with the roles you’re getting now?
Of course. I mean, you’ve worked so hard and then you see sort of the fruits of your work. There are all these directors that have given me all these opportunities and helped me showcase myself as an actress to the world in a really cool way. It’s not just me, it’s people taking chances on me. And I don’t take that lightly. So it’s not just my hard work, it’s a lot of people’s hard work and a lot of people’s stories and a lot of people’s trust in me.
As a Latina actress, how important is representation to you in Hollywood?
It’s the most important thing for me. I think representation is super important and that’s one of the reasons why I take so many different characters and I want to tell different stories – it’s to not be stereotyped.
Do you ever see yourself stepping behind the camera and directing?
Oh, I would love that. I would love nothing more than to direct. I’m not there yet. There’s a lot I still have to learn, and a lot of directors that I have to work with and stories I still have to tell. Plus, I have to find a story, and that hasn’t jumped at me yet. So it’ll be when the time is right.
Splitsville hits Australian cinemas on September 11, 2025.
