Jenna Ortega Says She Will Act in Horror Movies 'Until I Die': 'It'll Always Be Home' (Exclusive)

The actress says “horror is everything” to her

Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega says she would act in horror movies 'until I die'. Photo:

 Frederic J. Brown / AFP;A24

Horror fans rejoice: Jenna Ortega isn’t going anywhere.

The 21-year-old actress, known for genre projects like Wednesday, X and Scream, says “horror is everything” to her.

When talking to PEOPLE about her 2024 Super Bowl commercial with Doritos Dinamita, the Wednesday star says, “I would do horror until I die. It’s the best.”

Ortega says the genre will "always be home” for her, and adds, “I love horror [movies] because they encapsulate everything. They can be romantic, they can be funny, they can be dramatic, they can be scary. They're adrenaline-inducing and ignite passion in people, even scaredy-cats.” 

As a fan herself, the Beetlejuice 2 star loves watching the genre as much as acting in it.

“I try to watch as much as I can just for my job, which is wonderful because movies are my favorite thing in the world, and I get to call that homework,” she tells PEOPLE. “So I think there's just something really, really beautiful about horror and profound.”

jenna ortega
Ortega starred in two of the latest 'Scream' movies. Paramount Pictures/Moviestore/Shutterstock

Despite her love of the genre and frequency of acting in scary movies, Ortega says she “can’t claim” the title of “scream queen.”

“I respect the title too much, and I want to give it to so many other people,” she says.

The star recently took her acting skills to a new place: a Super Bowl commercial.

Ortega stars in her first-ever Super Bowl ad with Doritos Dinamita, which was released Monday but will air during the big game this Sunday. The action-packed commercial celebrates the snack brand's new rolled chip flavors, but the teaser for the ad showed off Ortega's scream-queen chops.

 Actress Jenna Ortega attends the world premiere screening of "Miller's Girl" at the 35th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival at Mary Pickford Theater on January 11, 2024 in Cathedral City, California
Jenna Ortega.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

In a teaser, which PEOPLE shared an exclusive first look at, Ortega walks down a grocery store aisle, looking around until she spots something that makes her eyes widen in fear.

“Oh no,” she says, looking at something out of the camera’s frame. “No!” The camera swings around, showing an empty shelf where Doritos Dinamita should be.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” she continues, her eyebrows furrowed and her hands stressfully grabbing her hair. Ortega grimaces and whispers, “This is not good,” while the date for Super Bowl LVIII (Feb. 11) pops onto the screen.

Ortega tapped into her horror talents for the teaser but the full advertisement doesn't have any of those scary elements.

"I kind of pull people in with the horror aspect and I think people think we're leading that route," she said, adding that the teaser also pulled her into the project. “I'll always be happy to do a horror project, which is why it was fun paying homage to it in that little teaser.”

Related Articles