At just 21 years old, Jenna Ortega has carved out a career in the film and television industry that has made her one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation. In addition to being very talented, Ortega has also shown a strong sense of self in an industry that could easily chew you up and spit you out. It’s no secret that the actress has already been a part of some lucrative franchises in film and TV, but when it comes to reimagining male roles to give women a shot at bigger IPs, Ortega thinks it’s a much better option to give women their own franchises to create their own iconic characters.
During a chat with MTV to promote the upcoming release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ortega was asked if she would be up for appearing in more sequels to some of Tim Burton’s other work, such as Edward Scissorhands, taking on the main part played by Johnny Depp but with a female spin. The actress, who was joined in the interview by her co-star Catherine O’Hara, found humor in the idea but would rather women had franchises to call their own.
“I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own. I don’t like it when it’s like a spinoff, I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see another badass.”
Gender & Race-Swapping Iconic Male Roles Have Been Met With Some Criticism
The notion of changing the race or gender of iconic roles is nothing new in Hollywood. The idea of a female James Bond has been tossed around for years, while Idris Elba’s name has popped up as potentially becoming the first Black James Bond to replace Daniel Craig. A female version of James Bond hasn’t been officially explored, but giving a woman of color the 007 codename was met with some criticism when Lashana Lynch’s Nomi took on the mantle in 2021’s No Time to Die. While some moviegoers are open to gender and race-swapping iconic roles, others take it as a personal offense when it’s done.
Ortega is right that women deserve more franchises of their own to potentially establish characters that could enter the pop culture lexicon. Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde), Angelina Jolie (Salt) and Scarlett Johansson (Lucy, Black Widow) are solid examples of allowing this movement to gain traction, but they’re sadly the exception and not the rule. There is still this idea in Hollywood that female-led franchises, especially when not based on established IP, won’t perform at the box office, but how many men have been given multiple shots at this despite past failures? Every idea isn’t going to work, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dust yourself off and try again.
As for Ortega, she’s likely destined for her own big original franchise as well. The actress has already appeared in established IPs, with her two Scream films pulling in solid box office numbers and her television series, Wednesday, bringing in big viewership numbers for Netflix. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is expected to gross over $100 million during its debut this weekend, so that will add another hit to her already impressive resume.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
hits screens this Friday, September 6.
