hear that woman speak forever because she speaks with such conviction

[Jin Wah]

At only 29, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress. Three years later she’s one of the most influential members of any age or gender, outspoken in pushing for a Green New Deal, tuition-free college and other progressive efforts.

Now she can also add “influenced a major comic book movie character” to her CV.

Adria Arjona, the Puerto Rican-born actress who plays scientist Martine Bancroft opposite Jared Leto and Matt Smith in this week’s Spidey verse spinoff Morbius, cites AOC as a major inspiration on her portrayal.

“I didn’t focus on the political aspect of her and her career, but I definitely wanted Martine to speak in the way that AOC speaks,” Arjona tells us during a recent virtual press day where she was joined by director Daniel Espinosa.

“I’ve always admired her. I can hear that woman speak forever because she speaks with such conviction, and really believes everything that she says from the heart, from the soul and from her brain. And I wanted that for Martine … I sort of drew that inspiration from her because I’m certainly not like that so I sort of needed to watch those videos and see her speeches. Reading her speeches and watching her at the same time was really interesting, she has a really interesting cadence.”

Arjona’s influences for Martine didn’t stop at AOC. She also cites the beloved soul singer Sade as “aesthetic” reference, as well as her aunt, who’s a doctor.

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In the film, Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius is a brilliant scientist on a lifelong quest to cure the rare and fatal blood disease he and his surrogate brother Milo (Smith) have suffered from since childhood. Martine works with Michael in the lab, though things get, um, complicated when he goes rogue and attempts to cure himself with vampiric bats, giving him superhuman abilities but also a lust for blood.

It remains to be seen if Ocasio-Cortez has any plans to check out Morbius when it hits theaters this weekend.