Jenna Ortega Almost Landed a Major Role in Dune

Although the Wednesday star wasn't sure what role she auditioned for, it seems to be Chani.

Central character of Dune, Fremen, niece of the leader Stilgar, and girlfriend of Paul Atreides, the Lisan Al-Gaib, Chani was first portrayed by Sean Young in the David Lynch version released in the 80s, before being embodied by Zendaya in front of Denis Villeneuve's camera, in the new adaptations. However, another actress could have found herself in her place: Jenna Ortega.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, surrounded by several puppies, the young actress revealed that she auditioned for a secret role in Dune when she was a teenager:

“I auditioned for Dune when I was about fifteen. I was really excited, because I was a fan of the film and the franchise, and also because Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite filmmakers.”

Is this the main female character, Chani? Jenna Ortega is not certain about this, because at the time, the role was kept top secret. However, the chances are high that it is this role. The young women of Dune are few in number and only Chani appears in the first part of the saga in 2021 – albeit briefly. It seems unlikely that she auditioned for the roles of Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Shishakli (Souheila Yacoub) both of which appeared in Dune: Part Two released this year.

When the star of Wednesday auditioned, her career was just starting. She had not yet shown the extent of her talents as a “scream queen” in Scream V And Xthe first installment in Ti West's horror trilogy. Opposite her was Zendaya, who has been established in the industry for a while now and has already starred in Spider-Man And The Greatest Showman. It is therefore towards the latter that Denis Villeneuve leaned for Chani.

For her part, Jenna Ortega caught the eye of another director: Tim Burton. Playing Wednesday Addams in the eponymous gothic series, a real hit on Netflix, she gave the filmmaker back the pleasure of directing and producing, and even continuing the adventures of the famous bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice.

How Wednesday's Series Brought Beetlejuice 2 Back to Life

Featured in Beetlejuice Beetlejuicein which she plays the daughter of Lydia (Winona Ryder), she will awaken the craziest of the undead, still played by Michael Keaton. And just like Zendaya in Dune, she will also be able to ride a sandworm – except that this one has black and white stripes!

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be released in theaters on September 11.