Wednesday Star Jenna Ortega Reveals She Auditioned For Dune When She Was 15

Jenna Ortega is no stranger to big-name projects. From her roles in Wednesday, a spinoff of The Addams Family to Scream and the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, she has become quite the franchise regular. In addition, she recently revealed during an interview that she almost added another major title to her resume of work. The actress shared that she had auditioned for a role in Denis Villeneuve’s live-action adaptation of Dune. Although she didn’t specify which role she was up for, it seems likely that it was Chani, a part that eventually went to Zendaya. Reflecting on the experience, Ortega said, “I auditioned for Dune when I was about fifteen."

“I remember just being a big fan of that film and the franchise and everything like that, and being really excited for that interview because Denis is one of my favorite filmmakers. I think it was Chani. I think it was Zendaya’s but they weren’t saying that. Everything was very secret," she added during her BuzzFeed Puppy Interview.

Watch it here:

Ortega’s upcoming film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a sequel to Beetlejuice which was released in 1988. Its story deals with the Deetz family who return to Winter River after the sudden death of Charles Deetz. Lydia’s world is thrown into chaos when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, played by Ortega, stumbles upon the mysterious model of the town in the attic. This leads to the accidental opening of a portal to the Afterlife, which leads the mischievous Betelgeuse into their lives once again.

With the release of Dune: Part Two this year, fans are eagerly speculating about the future of the franchise on the big screen. Director Denis Villeneuve has hinted that a script for the third film, Dune: Messiah, is already in the works. While it’s not confirmed when it will hit theatres, fans are buzzing with theories that Dune: Messiah could be released on December 18, 2026 – a date reportedly reserved by Warner Bros. for an undisclosed film.

Villeneuve himself has shared some insights, saying, “I’m working on four different screenplays—I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don’t know if it will be the next or the second next. My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible—the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah," reports Comicbook.