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Jenna Ortega is reflecting on the time she was erroneously linked to Johnny Depp.
The actress, 21, was asked about the ‘craziest’ rumor she had ever heard about herself during a video interview with BuzzFeed Celeb – and she cited the gossip that she was in a ‘serious relationship’ with Depp, 61.
The two were both romantically linked last year amid claims they were possibly working on the Beetlejuice sequel together before they shut down the rumors.
‘Probably that I was in a serious relationship with Johnny Depp and I wanted everybody to leave us alone. It’s so insane to me. Like I never spoke on that, I never said anything like that,’ she said.
Ortega found it all ‘pretty hilarious’ and the news even got back to her Death of a Unicorn co-star Richard E. Grant.
Jenna Ortega is reflecting on the time she was erroneously linked to Johnny Depp
‘I thought that that was pretty hilarious. I was on set with Richard E. Grant and he came up to me and he said, ‘Oh, so you and Johnny’ and I laughed because I don’t know that person,’ she said.
The dating rumors spread after celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi alleged last year that the two actors had been spotted together, according to NME. The account also reported the pair were possibly working on Beetlejuice 2 together.
Ortega ultimately set the record straight on her Instagram Stories, NME reported.
‘This is so ridiculous I can’t even laugh,’ Ortega wrote on her account, the site reported. ‘I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life. Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone.’
Depp’s representative also denied the rumor and the claim that he was in the new Beetlejuice film.
In a statement provided to NME, his rep said last year: ‘Mr. Depp has no personal or professional relationship with Ms. Ortega whatsoever. He has never met her or spoken to her. He is not involved in any project with her, nor does he intend to be. He is appalled by these baseless and malicious rumours that are intended to harm his reputation and career.’
Meanwhile, in that same BuzzFeed interview, Ortega also opened up about an iconic role she didn’t get.
She was asked what role fans would be surprised to learn she auditioned for, Ortega revealed she auditioned for Zendaya’s Chani role in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune movies.
The two were both romantically linked last year amid claims they were working on the Beetlejuice sequel together before they shut down the rumors; pictured July 2024
‘I think I auditioned for Dune when I was about 15,’ the actress revealed, though she added the audition process was quite secretive.
‘I remember just being a big fan of that film and the franchise and everything like that and being really excited for that interview because Denis is one of my favorite filmmakers,’ she added.
When asked what role she believes she auditioned for, Ortega said, ‘I think it was Chani, I think it was Zendaya’s, but they weren’t saying that, everything was very secret.’
Villeneuve signed on to direct both Dune movies back in January 2017, though he had to finish Blade Runner 2049 first before delving into the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 novel.
Ortega also opened up about an iconic role she auditioned for but didn’t get
He revealed in 2018 that the adaptation would span two films, and that year was also when Timothee Chalamet signed on to play the lead character Paul Atreides.
While it isn’t known exactly when auditions were held for the Chani role that Zendaya would ultimately win, Ortega would have been 15 if she auditioned before September 2018.
Zendaya was announced as Chani back in January 2019, and although she would only be seen briefly in 2021’s Dune, she would have a pivotal role in the 2024 sequel Dune: Part Two.
