Jenna Ortega was asked if she’d play a female Edward Scissorhands. She said women should have their own characters, not just act in spinoffs.
Jenna Ortega at the 81st Venice International Film Festival for the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” red carpet.
Jenna Ortega of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was asked by an interviewer if she would want to play a female version of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. The actor said women should have their own characters — not just appear in spinoffs.
Over the past few years, women have starred in a number of high-profile remakes and reboots of movies originally led by men, such as 2016’s “Ghostbusters” and 2018’s “Ocean’s 8.” These films often spark debate around gender-flipping characters on the big screen.
In an interview published Tuesday, MTV asked Ortega whether she’d consider starring in a female reboot of “Edward Scissorhands” after collaborating with Burton on Netflix’s “Wednesday” and on “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which will be released in theaters Friday.
“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,” she replied.
“The beauty of something like ‘Edward’ is the mystery; it’s very sensitive,” Ortega added. “You see, ‘Beetlejuice’ can still be original because he exists in no specific time. You could take him back to the 1800s if you really wanted to!”
The James Bond franchise often comes up in discussions around female-led reboots, particularly since Lashana Lynch was cast as the new 007 in Daniel Craig’s final Bond film, “No Time to Die.” This led to some backlash, as fans speculated whether she would become the new face of the franchise.
There’s no ‘Edward Scissorhands’ sequel in the works
Burton told Entertainment Weekly in 2015 that he probably wouldn’t direct an “Edward Scissorhands” sequel.
“No. I think things like that are nightmares. For me, they’re very singular things, and I think — yeah, some things, I easily get why you make more movies. Trilogies, and sequels, and octogoni. I get it. But for me, they’re usually just singular things,” Burton said.