Jenna Ortega Recalls 'Dune' Audition: Did She Almost Play Zendaya's Role?
Jenna Ortega, star of Netflix's "Wednesday" and the upcoming "Beetlejuice" sequel, has revealed she may have auditioned for Zendaya's role in "Dune." The actress recalled the audition in a recent interview with BuzzFeed, stating that she was 15 at the time.
"I think it was Chani, I think it was Zendaya's," Ortega said, acknowledging the secrecy surrounding the audition. "But they weren't saying that, everything was very secret."
Ortega confessed to being "really excited" at the prospect of working with Denis Villeneuve, whom she admires as a filmmaker. However, the actress currently aged 21, has clarified that her potential "Dune" audition would have taken place six years ago. The critically acclaimed science fiction epic, starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and others, was released in 2021 with its sequel arriving earlier this year.
Moving away from "Dune," Ortega also shared insights about her experiences filming "Wednesday" and the upcoming "Beetlejuice" sequel, both directed by Tim Burton. The actress described her relationship with the iconic director, highlighting the "playful" nature of their collaboration on "Beetlejuice" which fostered a strong bond between them.
Ortega expressed her admiration for the original "Beetlejuice" cast members, particularly Winona Ryder, who reprises her role in the sequel. "Winona was so welcoming," she said, "I feel really, really lucky to have been able to create such a bond with her on set."
She also spoke about her encounters with Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara, describing them as "hilarious" and "special." She expressed her admiration for Keaton's performance, noting his ability to completely disappear into the role of Beetlejuice.
In addition to her acting career, Ortega also shared some personal anecdotes, including her childhood celebrity crush on Barack Obama and her amusement at fabricated rumours linking her romantically to Johnny Depp.
"It's so insane to me, like, I never spoke on that, I never said anything like that," she remarked, finding the rumour quite humorous.
The interview concludes with Ortega providing an update on the upcoming second season of "Wednesday," revealing that they are currently filming episodes 201 and 204. "There's a lot happening in those episodes and they feel very prominent," she stated. "It feels like every day we're tackling a big scene."
