Jenna Ortega shared her thoughts on why she was “really eager” to work alongside Kid Cudi in their film, despite their significant age difference of 18 years.
Ortega, 22, known for her roles in Scream VI, Saturday Night Live, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice sequel, and Foo Fighters’ comedy-horror Studio 666, has had a busy schedule over the past couple of years.
The actress, who started her career with Disney and is now expanding into executive production, first gained attention playing the daughter of Vice President Rodriguez, portrayed by Miguel Ferrer, in Iron Man 3.
Since her film debut in 2013, the California native has secured significant roles, including the titular character in Netflix’s Wednesday and the controversial Cairo Sweet in Jade Halley Bartlett’s Miller’s Girl.
One of Ortega’s standout performances was as Lorraine Day in the popular A24 horror movie, X.
In this slasher film, Mia Goth, 30, plays both an aspiring adult film actress named Maxine and an older woman named Pearl, while Kid Cudi, 40, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, stars as Marine Corps veteran Jackson Hollis.
Although Ortega is familiar with the horror genre, X takes a more explicit turn, following young filmmakers attempting to create an adult film in rural Texas. Their plans take a deadly turn when they’re discovered during the filming of their risqué project.
At just 19, Ortega portrayed a character initially working behind the scenes of the adult movie production.
As the film progresses, her character grows curious about participating, leading to an intimate scene between Ortega and Cudi, who was 37 during filming.
In a conversation with Indie Wire, Ortega detailed her reasons for choosing X after reading Ti West’s script.
“I had never read anything like it before, and that was super-enticing to me,” Ortega stated. “I love that my character comes off one way initially, and then flips the script mid-film.”
Ortega expressed confidence in both the team and the script, which fueled her enthusiasm for the role. She mentioned, “I was really eager to do something that I had never done before and put myself in an environment that was so different from anything I’ve ever filmed.”
Despite her initial attraction to the script, Ortega, like her character, did not expect to film explicit scenes.
As filming progressed, a creative decision was made to involve her character more deeply in the storyline.
“That wasn’t a conscious decision. The scene actually wasn’t initially in the script,” Ortega clarified.
“When I signed on, that wasn’t a part [of the film]. It was something that came later on. … [It was] flipping the stereotype over and just taking somebody who you wouldn’t really see in that position suddenly in that position.”
Ortega emphasized that the late addition of the scene with Cudi did not deter her from continuing with the project.
“I think it adds to the spontaneity of the decision and also just the spontaneity of the film,” she commented.