After appearing in a variety of horror films over the past few years, Jenna Ortega is currently on dark fantasy material booked. This is mainly due to her collaboration with Tim Burton, which has so far resulted in the Netflix series Wednesday and the ghost comedy Beetlejuice.
In another world, we would probably be talking about Jenna Ortega as a sci-fi star today. As the actress, born in 2002, reveals in an interview with BuzzFeed, she had at the age of 15 for one of the biggest sci-fi projects ever: the two-part Dune film adaptation by director Denis Villeneuve.
Before the Netflix hit Wednesday, Jenna Ortega auditioned for the sci-fi epic Dune
When asked what role people would be surprised that she applied for, Ortega says in the interview:
I auditioned for Dune a lot when I was about 15. I remember being a huge fan of the film and the franchise and everything around it. I was really excited because Denis [Villeneuve] is one of my favorite directors. I think it was about Chani, Zendaya’s role. But they didn’t tell me that at the time. Everything was top secret.
Warner Bros.
Zendaya as Chani in Dune
As Ortega says, the role ultimately went to Zendaya, who previously starred in the acclaimed HBO series Euphoria and the Spider-Man films with Tom Holland. An earlier interview with casting director Francine Maisler revealed that Zendaya against four competitors at Dune.
Maisler told Variety two years ago:
Zendaya was one of five actresses considered for the role [von Chani] auditioned. She had an incredible presence and her chemistry with Timothée [Chalamet] was undeniable.
Now we know at least one of the other four actresses who were in the running for Chani. Ortega’s career has not been stalled by missing the Dune casting. With Wednesday, she is currently leading one of the biggest Netflix series. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, meanwhile, starts on 12 September 2024 in German cinemas.
When will Jenna Ortega return as Wednesday Addams?
Filming for the second season of Wednesday has been underway since May. This means that we are still quite a way away from the release of the new episodes. So we will probably not until 2025 return to Nevermore Academy.