Jenna Ortega has opened up about Hollywood and politics and how always being “politically correct” can “lack honesty”.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the Wednesday actress her belief that actors having to be politically correct and how it can affect their integrity. She also opened up about her Scream VI co-star Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the horror franchise following social media posts in support of Palestine.
“The business that we work in is so touchy-feely,” the actor told the publication. “Everybody wants to be politically correct, but I feel like, in doing that, we lose a lot of our humanity and integrity, because it lacks honesty.”
She continued: “I wish that we had a better sense of conversation. Imagine if everyone could say what they felt and not be judged for it and, if anything, it sparked some sort of debate, not an argument. Am I describing world peace?”
Last November, Barrera was dropped from her role as Sam Carpenter in the Scream franchise after the film’s production company Spyglass Media felt that her posts on social media had the potential to be perceived as anti-Semitic.
In a statement shared with Variety at the time, Spyglass media said: “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
Ortega left the Scream franchise a day after Barrera’s firing, with the actress citing scheduling conflicts as the reason for her departure. In the wake of both actors’ departure, original Scream star Neve Campbell was announced to make her return to the franchise.
In other news, Ortega is set to star in the upcoming new Beetlejuice Beetlejuice film alongside Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. The film – a sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton classic – is set for release on September 6.
Recently, a range of new popcorn buckets for the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice film were revealed.
The actor also recently opened up about the Denzel Washington film that “changed the entire course of my existence”.
Back in May, Netflix released a teaser trailer for Wednesday season two, confirming the addition of new cast members Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Joanna Lumley and Thandie Newton.
The second season is currently in production and, at the time of writing, is expected to be released on the streaming platform by late 2024 or early 2025. Filming of the show moved to County Wicklow and became the largest production ever shot in Ireland according to its local industry body.