Jenna Ortega is pretty sure she auditioned for the role of Zendaya in Dune. THE Beetle Juice Beetle Juice The actress stated that she was 15 years old when she showed up for the interview.
“I think it was Chani, I think it was Zendaya,” Ortega recalled in a BuzzFeed interview. “But they didn't say it, it was all very secret.”
Ortega added that she remembers being “really excited” because Denis Villeneuve “is one of my favorite directors.”
Ortega is now 21 years old, which would push his potential age up Dune auditioned at age six. In addition to Zendaya, the critically acclaimed sci-fi series’ first installment also starred Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, and Dave Bautista. Dune: Part Two released earlier this year.
In another part of the interview, Ortega talked about his experiences while filming Netflix Wednesday with legendary director Tim Burton. Burton also directed the next Beetle Juice Beetle Juice — the sequel to his 1988 film Beetle Juice — in which Ortega plays Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Lydia played by Winona Ryder.
“ON Wednesday we were just trying to get to know each other a little bit,” Ortega said of her relationship with Burton. “On Beetle Juice …it felt a lot more playful and I think that actually helped our relationship a lot…it was just a very joyful, happy shoot.”
Ryder reprises her role for the film, alongside Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara. “Winona was so welcoming,” Ortega said. “I feel really, really lucky to have been able to bond with her on set like that.”
As for Keaton and O'Hara, Ortega also praised them.
“I’ve been a fan of Michael Keaton for so long that I think seeing him in person made me go inside myself because I was weirdly ashamed,” she said, adding that seeing Keaton play the Beetlejuice character “was the first time I think I’ve seen someone completely disappear, with nothing of themselves involved, so that was pretty special.”
Ortega added: “Catherine O'Hara is one of the funniest, if not the funniest, people I've ever met in my life.”
Ortega Plays Wednesday Addams in Netflix Series Wednesdaywhich released its first season in 2022. The team is currently busy producing the second season.
“We’re shooting episodes 201 and 204 right now and there’s a lot going on in those episodes that feels very important,” Ortega said. “It feels like every day we’re going through a big scene.”
Also during the interview, Ortega joked about some personal details, including revealing that her first celebrity crush “was Barack Obama” and that she was confused and amused by the (completely fabricated) rumors that she was dating Johnny Depp.
“It’s so crazy to me, like, I’ve never talked about this, I’ve never said anything like that,” Ortega said. “I thought it was pretty hilarious.”