Jenna Ortega, best known for playing the lead role in Wednesday, once auditioned for Zendaya’s role in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise. In an interview BuzzFeedJenna recalled the time she auditioned for the role of Chani at the age of 15. (Also Read – Jenna Ortega reveals she found explicit AI images of herself on Twitter: ‘It’s corrupting’)
What did Jenna say?
When asked what’s one role she auditioned for that people would be surprised to learn about, Jenna replied, “I think I auditioned for Dune when I was about 15. I remember being a huge fan of that movie and that franchise and everything like that and being really excited for that interview because Dennis is one of my favorite filmmakers.”
Jenna is now 21, which means she auditioned for the role six years ago in 2018. Although she’s not sure, she has a hunch that the role she auditioned for was Chani, which was ultimately bagged by Zendaya, who is six years older than her. “I think it was Chani. I think it was Zendaya. But they weren’t saying that. Everything was very secretive,” Jenna said.
About Dune
Zendaya plays Chani, a Fremen tribe warrior and the love interest of protagonist Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet. The sci-fi epic franchise is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s popular 1965 novel of the same name. Denis Villeneuve, best known for films such as Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, directed the franchise. Part 1 released in theaters in 2021, followed by Part 2 earlier this year.
The franchise also stars Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skasgård, Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Oscar Isaac and Jason Momoa. A prequel series is also in production, titled Dune: Prophecy, which will premiere soon on HBO Max (JioCinema in India), and also stars acclaimed Indian actor Tabu.
Meanwhile, Jenna will reunite with her Wednesday director Tim Burton for the horror comedy Beetlejuice, which is set to release in theaters on September 6. It will see Michael Keaton reprising his iconic role of Betelgeuse, 36 years after the 1988 cult original, which was also directed by Tim.
