Actress Jenna Ortega is only 21 years old, and in just a few years’ time, she’s quickly become a megastar. She’s already something of a horror icon too, thanks to back-to-back roles in X, Scream V, Scream VI, Wednesday, and soon Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. However, she was almost a sci-fi icon instead. In an interview with Buzzfeed, via Variety, they asked her which role she auditioned for, and didn’t get. Ortega revealed that she believes she auditioned for the role of Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. This was over six years ago. Here’s what she had to say about how she almost made a trip to Arrakis:
I think I auditioned for Dune when I was about 15. I remember being a big fan of that film and that franchise and everything like that and being really excited for that interview because Denis [Villeneuve] is one of my favorite filmmakers. I think it was Chani. I think it was Zendaya’s. But they weren’t saying that. Everything was very secret.
First off, kudos to then-15-year-old Jenna Ortega for being a fan of the Dune franchise when it was just one ’80s David Lynch movie and a low-budget Syfy Channel mini-series. That’s pretty punk rock. Second, as much as we love her, we also get why they never cast her. Sadly, she was just too young for the part at the time, and no doubt they wanted Paul Atreides and Chani to be closer in age. Timothée Chalamet was already well into his 20s. No doubt, Ortega found herself quite disappointed. Especially as a fan of Frank Herbert’s world. But there’s always a chance she could be in Dune: Messiah. That’s due to start filming in the next year or so, we hope. Now, let the Dune fan casting for Jenna Ortega begin!