Jenna Ortega once revealed why she was ‘really eager’ to star opposite and complete erotic scenes with Kid Cudi, despite their 18-year age gap.
From Scream VI to Saturday Night Live, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice sequel and the Foo Fighters’ comedy-horror Studio 666 – Ortega, 22, has been booked and busy in the last two years.
The former Disney star, who has recently begun wracking up executive producer credits, initially rose to fame as Vice President Rodriguez’s (played by Miguel Ferrer) daughter in Iron Man 3.
After making her feature film debut in 2013, the California-born actress has gone on to win roles such as Wednesday in the Netflix series of the same name and the controversial Cairo Sweet in Jade Halley Bartlett’s Miller’s Girl.
Another one of Ortega’s crowning moments is her portrayal of Lorraine Day in the beloved A24 horror flick, X.
The slasher also sees Mia Goth, 30, portraying both an aspiring adult film star named Maxine and an elderly lady called Pearl, while 40-year-old Kid Cudi – real name Scott Mescudi – plays Marine Corps veteran Jackson Hollis.
While Ortega is no stranger to horror movies, this one took things to a more explicit level as it tells the story of a group of young filmmakers who plan to make an adult film in rural Texas, only to find themselves fighting for their lives when they’re caught creating their saucy scenes.
Ortega, who was only 19 at the time, plays a character who initially worked behind the scenes of the adult production.
But as the story unfolds her character becomes more intrigued by the concept and decides to join in with its creation, leading to a sex scene between Ortega and Cudi, who was 37-years-old at the time.
In an interview with Indie Wire, Ortega explained why she decided to take on X after reading the script written by Ti West.
Jenna Ortega played Lorraine Day in X (Little Lamb/Mad Solar Productions)
“I had never read anything like it before, and that was super-enticing to me,” Ortega explained. “I love that my character comes off one way initially, and then flips the script mid-film.”
The actor said she ‘had a lot of faith’ in everyone involved in the project, as well as in the script itself.
This all contributed to her enthusiasm for the role, as she explained: “I was really eager to do something that I had never done before and put myself in an environment that was so different from anything I’ve ever filmed.”
While the script hooked Ortega from the start, she revealed that much like her character in the movie, she hadn’t initially expected to film any explicit scenes.
However, as production got underway, a decision was made to get her character involved.
The actress claimed the scene added ‘spontaneity’ to the movie (Little Lamb/Mad Solar Productions)
“That wasn’t a conscious decision. The scene actually wasn’t initially in the script,” Ortega explained.
“When I signed on, that wasn’t a part [of the film]. It was something that came later on. … [It was] flipping the stereotype over and just taking somebody who you wouldn’t really see in that position suddenly in that position.”
Though the scene between herself and Cudi was a late addition, Ortega made clear that it didn’t put her off filming.
“I think it adds to the spontaneity of the decision and also just the spontaneity of the film,” she said.
