Actress Jenna Ortega's star power has been steadily growing over the last few years, largely thanks to roles in projects like Scream and playing the title role in Wednesday (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription). While she's got plenty of great gigs on the small and silver screens, there are some that she did't book. Case in point: Ortega thinks she was up for Dune opposite Zendaya. But there's a very Hollywood reason she doesn’t know for sure.
Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise (which is streaming with a Max subscription) has been wildly successful in theaters, with fans already asking about Dune 3. While promoting her role in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Jenna Ortega told BuzzFeed about her audition for the sci-fi movie. In her words:
I auditioned for Dune when I was about 15. I remember just being a big fan of that film, franchise, and everything like that. And being really excited about that interview because Denis is one of my favorite filmmakers.
Well now I've got FOMO. Ortega consistently gives great performances, and I can only imagine what she would have brought to the table on Arrakis with Dune. Of course, the big question is what role she was auditioning for.
The Dune 2 cast list was led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, with the latter only having a few brief appearances as Chani in the first movie. The X actress thinks she auditioned for that role, but can't be sure. As she put it:
I think it was Chani, I think it was Zendaya’s. But they weren’t saying that. Everything was very secret.
How very Hollywood. It sounds like this audition was top secret, with not even the actors knowing what role they were reading for. Jenna Ortega thinks she was up for Chani, but can't be sure. This feels reminiscent of Marvel's security, where they guard spoilers and use fake scripts to audition potential actors.
While Ortega seems like a perfect choice for Chani, perhaps she was also up for another role. Namely, that character's best friend Shishakli, who had a supporting role in Dune: Part Two. Although it's unclear if Denis Villeneuve was casting that role during the audition process for the original film.
Given how the Dune movies were filmed in the deserts of Jordan and The United Arab Emirates, as well as how long movies shoot, I have to wonder how Ortega's career might have been affected if she booked the sci-fi blockbuster. Would her schedule as Chani prevented her from filming other projects like Wednesday or Scream? It's unclear, but that's how the industry works.
Jenna Ortega can be seen in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which hits theaters on September 6th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
