‘Death of a Unicorn’ director says movie wouldn’t exist without Jenna Ortega
The director of the upcoming A24 film Death of a Unicorn has said the movie may not have been made without its lead star, Jenna Ortega.
Alex Scharfman is making his directorial debut for the fantasy-comedy film starring Ortega alongside Paul Rudd in the main roles, told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview on March 28th that the script essentially hung on the star’s shoulders.
He said: “I think we sent it to her the weekend before Wednesday premiered [in November 2022]. It was very daunting because there’s a lot that rides on the character of Ridley. She’s a vehicle for exposition, but she’s also the emotional centre of the movie. She’s the audience’s eyes and ears.”
“I don’t know what we would’ve done if we didn’t get Jenna,” Scharfman added. “It’s such a hard role, and she does such an incredible job with it. But there was a really great vibe as of our first meeting, and she really got the character. She also got what I was trying to do on a genre and story level, and she was just incredible as a collaborator and performer.”
The film follows father and daughter pair Ridley and Elliot – Ortega and Rudd – as they accidentally hit and kill a unicorn on their way to a retreat, and must deal with the mythical repercussions.
For his first time directing and writing a script, Scharfman has secured some top Hollywood echelons to star in Death of a Unicorn. Alongside Ortega and Rudd in supporting roles are the likes of Richard E Grant, Will Poulter, and Anthony Carrigan.
The singer St Vincent has also released a new song, ‘DOA’, which appears on the soundtrack.
Death of a Unicorn is out now in the US, and will be released on April 4th in the UK.
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