Jenna Ortega let slip a little-known fact that left fans rage typing. While doing one of those puppy interviews with BuzzFeed Celeb, Ortega dropped a bombshell: she once auditioned for a role that ended up going to Zendaya. And yes, we’re talking about that role—Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune movies.
The 21-year-old rising star who’s currently busy promoting her much-anticipated film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice revealed that when she was just 15, she auditioned for the role of Chani, the character that Zendaya brought to life in the cinematic sci-fi universe. Can you imagine? A world where Jenna Ortega, not Zendaya, was Timothée Chalamet’s desert-dwelling, blue-eyed love interest? Neither can we, but hey, it was a close call!
“I think I auditioned for Dune when I was about 15,” Ortega casually mentioned, like she was talking about auditioning for the school play and not one of the biggest sci-fi franchises of our time. But, of course, the audition process was shrouded in more mystery than a Wednesday Addams fan theory. “Everything was very secret,” she added. So secret, in fact, that Ortega didn’t even know for sure if she was auditioning for Chani. “I think it was Zendaya’s role, but they weren’t saying that,” she recalled.
But let’s not shed too many tears for Jenna Ortega. She’s doing just fine, thank you very much. After cutting her teeth on the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle, Ortega broke out of her child star mold with roles in You and The Babysitter: Killer Queen. But it was 2022 that really put her on the map, thanks to her turn in the hit slasher film Scream and her iconic portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday. If she wasn’t a household name before, she certainly is now.
This year alone, Ortega has already starred in two movies: Miller’s Girl with Martin Freeman and the upcoming Winter Spring Summer or Fall, which hits theaters on September 5. And let’s not forget Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, where she plays Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz. That film is set to haunt theaters on September 6—just in time for spooky season. Oh, and she’s also got Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun coming in 2025, along with the second season of Wednesday, which is already in production. It’s safe to say Jenna’s calendar is fuller than a goth girl’s makeup bag.
Despite missing out on Dune, Jenna Ortega’s career is still on the rise faster than you can say “Beetlejuice” three times. With a packed slate of upcoming projects, she’s proving that sometimes the roles you don’t get are just stepping stones to even bigger opportunities. Who needs the sands of Arrakis when you’ve got the Addams Family’s eerie mansion, right?
So, what do you think? Would Jenna Ortega have made a better Chani than Zendaya? Or is she exactly where she’s supposed to be? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for all the latest celebrity gossip.
