It’s no secret that Jenna Ortega’s talent and ambition will carry her far. Already she’s accrued quite an acting resume, including the iconic Wednesday Addams (which she voiced creative concerns over), so it’s not surprising she’s interested in more. Of course, Ortega’s already made it known she wants to direct movies, but now has revealed genres that she’d like to pursue. And I’m sat and waiting in the wings for her future aspirations.
During a press event for Wednesday Season 2, which recently wrapped its two-part drop on the 2025 Netflix release schedule, Ortega shared with People some other projects she'd like to put her creative stamp on. Surprisingly, perhaps, her answer fit the vibes of the macabre streaming show and collaboration with director Ti West, as the 22-year-old’s response was specific and detailed about the kind of movie she wants to make, stating:
It’d either be, like, really graphic and German, or really grounded and nasty.
I’m frankly very into that for the young star! After all, she’s consistently booked some of the best self-aware horror staples in Hollywood history (Scream, Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), and her work in other offbeat genre fare like X and Death of a Unicorn are also proof of concept. I can only imagine her interpretation and portrayal of either of them in front of or behind the camera would be done with such love and detail. Now, I’m just wondering when this statement will come to fruition because I'm glued to the idea.
Ortega was quick to shed light on my aforementioned curiosity, and shared a rough timeline of when she may put on that new hat. And unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like it’s even coming down the pipe at this point. For now, she’s happy where she is and said it’s a role she can still dream about, as she said:
I haven’t gotten to that point in my life yet and while that’s something that I can dream — to do it — I think it’s very different once you start to experience it.
The response is completely understandable with how much she has going on. Aside from Wednesday and the new season, she was in two 2025 movie guide titles, Death of a Unicorn and Hurry Up Tomorrow. I can only believe her directing dreams are a nice reprieve between all the different sets for these projects.
In addition to her professional picks and projected timeline, Ortega weighed in on why she gravitates toward the spooky side of Hollywood in general. Specifically, she revealed that some of her personal favorite big screen watches are “‘grounded’ with a ‘hint of surrealism.’” From there, she went on to reason it's probably why she enjoys scary movies because it often bends expectations, by saying:
Maybe that’s part of the reason why I like horror so much, because oftentimes it goes to this kind of unbelievable state.
She’s not wrong in that train of thought, fans like me, are on that same page. There’s certainly more space for imagination and subverting normal story structures. And, in the age of systematic streaming content, it’s one of the most reliable ways to keep a title fresh and interesting. Along with it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the reasons why Ortega craved ‘more horror’ for Wednesday Season 2.
Though we still have to wait for the day a Jenna Ortega directed project is announced, it’s really exciting to know she’s musing about it.
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