In a recent discussion with fellow actor Elle Fanning, Jenna Ortega recalled a gnarly audition — as well as her experience with casting directors as a whole.
Jenna Ortega’s first screaming audition didn’t go well
As part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Ortega spoke with Elle Fanning in depth about their careers. In the discussion, Ortega reflected on an “awful experience” she had when she first had to scream during an audition.
According to Ortega, she had to drive three hours to the audition with her mother. While her mother asked her if she wanted to practice, Ortega decided against it, and ended up having a bad audition.
“I had really awful experiences with screaming and things like that,” said Ortega. “The first time I ever had to scream for an audition, it was a three-hour drive, so my mom was saying, ‘Hey, do you want to practice?’ And I told her, ‘No, I got it.’ I went in, did not have it. My voice cracked. She was so frustrated, because she was sacrificing so much for me to be out there. I felt awful.”
Ortega and Fanning also discussed casting directors at large, with Ortega asking Fanning if she’d ever been yelled at. The actress said she hadn’t, and Ortega recalled her own experience of being yelled at for apologizing too much.
“I just kept cutting off my monologue by going, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve messed it up,'” said Ortega.
