- Jenna Ortega wants to get behind the camera
- The Wednesday star has dreams to direct a feature film
- She recently starred in Death of A Unicorn with Paul Rudd
Jenna Ortega aspires to direct a movie based on her original script after establishing herself as a Hollywood actress.
The Wednesday star has spent a decade penning a screenplay and is now keen to get it greenlit into a real film. She is following in the footprints of her peers like Timotheé Chalamet and Zendaya and attempting to remain a serious artist, not falling into the pitfalls of superhero movies. They can often be seen as cash grabs for stars and studios alike.
The 22-year-old actress told V magazine, “I have a script that I’ve known that I was going to make for almost 10 years.”
“It’s weird because it’s something that I thought of when I was younger,” she also told the outlet, “and it’s only now that I’m actually starting to take the steps to get it made.”
Read more: Death of A Unicorn: Is Jenna Ortega’s new film good?
Ortega added that directing is “the main thing” she saw herself doing, continuing to the magazine, I just feel that’s the way my brain wants to work and think, and that’s how I even view my acting sometimes.”
What else has Jenna Ortega done recently?
Well considering she is one the most in-demand young Hollywood faces, quite a lot. Ortega’s list of credits include Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the second season of Netfix’s Wednesday and Sabrina Carpenter’s music video for Taste.
Recently, Ortega spoke out about the real reason she departed Scream 7. In 2023, she was expected to reprise her role of Tara Carpenter from the sixth movie, but it was reported that, due to “scheduling conflicts”, this would no longer be the case.
However, the day prior, her co-star Melissa Barrea had been forced to leave the project. The In The Heights star was no longer signed on play Ortega’s on-screen sister, Sam, due to her being outspoken about the ongoing genocide in Palestine at the hands of the Israeli government.
Read more: The best performances by Jenna Ortega: ranked
Speaking to The Cut, Ortega said that her leaving had “nothing to do with pay or scheduling”
“The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart,” she continued. The film’s slated directors, the returning duo Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli, had already left the project by the time her mind had already been made up.
Jenna Ortega on leaving the ‘SCREAM’ franchise:
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) April 7, 2025
“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t… pic.twitter.com/ztWjUp0bSn
Ortega continued,“If Scream VII wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”
