Jenna Ortega addresses rumor she was in a ‘serious relationship’ with Johnny Depp
Working with Tim Burton does not automatically mean Jenna Ortega and Johnny Depp are romantically involved.
The 21-year-old star of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” addressed the wildest rumor she’s encountered during a BuzzFeed video interview, highlighting the false claims that she was “in a serious relationship” with 61-year-old Depp.
Last year, Ortega addressed the dating speculation in several news stories through an Instagram post, reportedly stating, “This is so ridiculous I can’t even laugh. I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life. Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone.”
In her recent BuzzFeed chat, Ortega implied that not only were the rumors unfounded, but that her earlier comment denying them was also inaccurate.
“It’s so crazy to me,” she expressed in the video. “I never commented on that. I didn’t say anything like that at all. Articles just invent their own quotes, and I found that quite amusing.”
The “Scream” actress also mentioned that the rumor gained so much traction that her co-star Richard E. Grant, with whom she worked on the upcoming film “Death of a Unicorn,” inquired about it on set.
“He approached me and said, ‘Oh, so you and Johnny?'” Ortega recalled. “I laughed because I have no connection to that person.”
Ortega and Depp are both associated with director Tim Burton, as she stars in his series “Wednesday” on Netflix. Depp has a long history of collaboration with Burton, featuring in films like “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood,” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Ortega also collaborated with Burton on the sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is set to release on September 6.
The former Disney Channel star recently disclosed in an interview with The New York Times that she left X, previously known as Twitter, after being bombarded with AI-generated, fake pornographic images of herself as a child. She also discussed her struggle to maintain privacy in her personal life amid growing fame on the Times’ “The Interview” podcast.
“I was naturally a private person, and I’d rather keep it that way, so I realize there are many more eyes and heightened scrutiny — and I’m still maturing!” she commented. “My prefrontal cortex isn’t even fully developed yet, technically speaking!”