Actor Jenna Ortega has recently revealed that she was on the verge of stepping away from acting before landing her breakthrough role in the hit Netflix series You. As per Variety, Ortega shared that she had begun questioning her future in the industry as a teenager after transitioning out of children`s television.
Jenna Ortega considered quitting movies
“I didn`t know what else I was gonna do,” Ortega said in an interview, reflecting on a period of uncertainty after leaving early projects.
As per Variety, she explained that she had to reintroduce herself to casting directors and prove her range, which made her consider quitting altogether. “It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to,” she added, noting that discussions about stepping away had gone on for months with her team.
Ortega began her career with roles in shows such as `Richie Rich` and `Stuck in the Middle`.
However, the uncertainty of transitioning into more mature roles led her to briefly consider ending her acting journey.
The turning point came in 2019 when she was cast as Ellie Alves in season 2 of `You`. Her character, the neighbour of Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, marked a significant shift in her career.
Recalling her experience on set, Ortega said she immediately connected with the work. “I loved it and had the best time,” she said, adding, “I thought, `Yeah, there`s no way I could let this go,`” as quoted by Variety.
Since then, Ortega`s career has seen a steady rise. She has headlined films such as `X`, `Scream VI`, `Beetlejuice Beetlejuice` and `Death of a Unicorn` and the show Wednesday.
Jenna on use of AI in movies
Recently, Ortega expressed her concern about the use of artificial intelligence in film and TV and hopes people will get “sick” of such work and want to return to genuine human creations in the future.
During the jury press conference at the Marrakech Film Festival, The ‘Wednesday’ actress said, “There is really charm in the human condition… As humans, we have a tendency to always, when you look back at history, take things too far. It’s very easy to be terrified. I know I am in times like this of deep uncertainty. And it kind of feels like we’ve opened up a Pandora’s Box.”
“There’s certain things that AI just isn’t able to replicate, and yes, there’s beautiful, difficult mistakes, and a computer can’t do that. A computer has no soul, and it’s nothing that we would ever be able to resonate with or relate to.”
Ortega added, “I don’t want to assume for the audience, but I would hope it gets to a point where it becomes some sort of mental junk food, AI and looking at the screen, and then suddenly we all feel sick, and we don’t know why, and then that one independent filmmaker in their backyard comes out with something, and it releases this new excitement again.”
