Jenna Ortega says Hollywood wants to be politically correct, but it lacks honesty (2024)

Are people in Hollywood too politically correct? Jenna Ortega thinks so, believing that Hollywood’s desire to be politically correct is detrimental to its humanity and integrity.

“The business that we work in is so touchy-feely,” Ortega told Vanity Fair. “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.“

Ortega 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.” The actress then asked herself, “Am I describing world peace?“

Taking a stance in Hollywood isn’t always looked upon favourably, with Ortega’s Scream co-star Melissa Barrera finding herself fired from the franchise last year due to her social media posts about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Just one day later, Ortega herself dropped out of the project, citing scheduling conflicts with the second season of Netflix’s Wednesday series. It was later reported that Ortega was seeking more money, which the studio wasn’t willing to cough up. Not entirely surprising, considering they didn’t want to pay Neve Campbell — arguably the face of the franchise alongside Ghostface —what she deserved. Christopher Landon, who was slated to direct the new Scream sequel, also exited the project, calling it a “dream job that turned into a nightmare.“

Barrera later expressed gratitude towards her fellow Scream cast members, including Ortega. “I’m just so grateful on what I got to infuse in the franchise, and that’s something I’ll be proud of forever,” Barrera said. “We’re family for life. If we’re ever in the vicinity of each other, we always find each other and that’s what happened at that event. When we find each other, we just want to spend the night with each other, and nothing is ever going to change that.“

Ortega has been working on the second season of Wednesday, which started production in May, but the actress will next be seen in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which hits theaters on September 6th in the U.S.

What do you think about Jenna Ortega’s statements on being politically correct in Hollywood?