Jenna Ortega wants to direct and star in self-written movie
Actor Jenna Ortega has revealed that she’s been working on a script for almost 10 years, and she believes now is the right time to kick-start the project.
In a discussion with V Magazine, Ortega said that for the past decade, she has been working on her own film project. She told the interviewer: “It’s weird because it’s something that I thought of when I was younger and when I first started out in this field, and it’s only now that I’m actually starting to take the steps to get it made, which is really interesting.”
Ortega continued: “I’m just putting the puzzle pieces together in my head. So I think I needed a few years of that under my belt to understand the order of doing things.”
The Wednesday star debuted as an executive producer in the recent Death of a Unicorn film. She is also named producer on other upcoming works, including the upcoming Trey Edward Shults’ Hurry Up Tomorrow and the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday.
The Death of a Unicorn director, Alex Scharfman, revealed what a pivotal role Ortega played, stating that she was integral to the fantasy-comedy film. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if we didn’t get Jenna,” Scharfman revealed. “She got what I was trying to do on a genre and story level, and she was just incredible as a collaborator and performer.”
Ortega reveals that she considers her talents better used in the directorial seat, despite wanting to star in the upcoming work. She said, “This one in particular, I see myself in it, but I really want to direct. That’s probably the main thing that I want to do. I see that for myself. I just feel that’s the way my brain wants to work and think, and that’s how I even view my acting sometimes.”
The Scream actor hinted that we may find her increasingly behind the scenes. “I don’t want to be in the things that I create in the future,” she explained, “but starting out, because I’ve created more leverage for myself with a name as an actor, I may as well use that as a stepping stone.”
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