Jenna Ortega Calls Out Hollywood As Politically Correct
It is not a new sentiment among actors to espouse the opinion that celebrities are expected to be politically correct if they want to be successful. However, it is more rare for younger celebrities to also voice this opinion, yet 21-year-old Jenna Ortega recently made it clear she feels it is true as well. She shared that she thinks the world today forces everyone under such scrutiny about not saying anything that might hurt someone’s feelings, that it has eroded a lot of potential for honest conversations.
Touchy Feely
“The business that we work in is so touchy-feely,” said Jenna Ortega. “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.”
While Ortega did not reference any specific incidents that led to her feeling this way, fans were quick to speculate and try to connect the dots.
The Scream Controversy
The prevailing theory is that Jenna Ortega’s comments are in reference to what was supposed to be her co-star in Scream 7, Melissa Barrera, being fired from the movie for sharing her thoughts supporting Palestine against Israel.
The producer for the film, Spyglass Media Group, made it clear that they felt Barrera’s comments were a form of antisemitism and hate mongering. This came in response to Barrera referring to Israel’s attacks against Palestine as being a “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing”.
Hints
Jenna Ortega ultimately wound up leaving the project as well, with her publicly stated reason being scheduling conflicts. However, many feel this was just an excuse to avoid making waves, and that the timing suggested Ortega actually left the project in solidarity with Barrera.
Regardless, Jenna Ortega’s recent comments about being politically correct certainly seem like they could have come in response to the situation with Scream 7. “I wish that we had a better sense of conversation,” Ortega said recently.
“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.” She went on to question “Am I describing world peace?”
Not Shy
That last comment could have simply been Jenna Ortega poking fun at herself, acknowledging that she hardly has all the answers. Or it could have been in reference to the Palestine and Israel conflict and how perhaps it could have been resolved peacefully if conversations could have been had before anger took root.
Jenna Ortega is proving that young as she is, she is not afraid to be outspoken about what she believes in. Within the last year she also made headlines for sharing that she put her foot down on some of the choices for her character on the set of Wednesday.
She said that she felt some of the choices being made did not match the personality of Wednesday Adams, so she pushed to alter some of the dialogue that had been scripted for her.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Jenna Ortega did receive some criticism for openly talking against some of the choices the team behind Wednesday made, so perhaps that is why she is more careful with her recent words. She does not make any specific attributions as to who exactly she feels is perpetuating too strong of a politically correct attitude.
Regardless, the coming months continue to hold big things for the future of Jenna Ortega, with her set to star in the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice releasing on September 6. And then Wednesday season 2 is currently being shot and is expected to release in 2025.
Source: Variety
