Jenna Ortega rose to fame with her Netflix show, Wednesday. (Photo Credit: YouTube)
Jenna Ortega calls for original female roles instead of gender-swapped ones, echoing similar sentiments from James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
Jenna Ortega, star of Wednesday, shared her thoughts on the growing trend of remaking iconic films with female leads, emphasising the need for original characters instead of gender-swapped roles.
During an interview with MTV alongside her Beetlejuice 2 co-star Catherine O’Hara, Ortega was asked about potentially starring in a sequel to Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. The host, Josh Horowitz, jokingly suggested a film titled Edith Scissorhands, with Ortega in the lead role. While both actresses found the idea amusing, Ortega quickly made her stance clear.
“I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own,” Ortega said. “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.”
Ortega’s comments come at a time when the idea of reimagining classic male roles with female leads is a hot topic. At the Venice International Film Festival, the concept of re-thinking James Bond with a female or LGBTQ+ identity was also brought up. Daniel Craig, whose portrayal of Bond ended with the character’s death in No Time to Die, avoided the topic. Meanwhile, filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, who was present to promote his film Queer featuring Craig, dismissed the speculation.
The debate over a female James Bond has been ongoing for years. In 2021, longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli expressed similar sentiments to Ortega’s, stating that the next Bond would likely remain a man. She emphasised the importance of creating new, compelling roles for women rather than reassigning existing male characters. “I believe in making characters for women and not just having women play men’s roles. It’s very important to me that we make movies for women about women,” Broccoli told The Hollywood Reporter.
While the conversation continues, it’s worth noting that Hollywood has seen successful films featuring strong female protagonists in action roles akin to Bond’s, such as Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron, Salt with Angelina Jolie, and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. These films have proven that there is a substantial audience for original stories centered around powerful female characters, reinforcing the idea that women deserve narratives crafted uniquely for them.
