Jenna Ortega jokes only she and Tom Cruise train at her level as she preps for Nasty
With Nasty on the way, Jenna Ortega says she’s keen to dive into action — and even sizes up her athleticism against a certain blockbuster icon.
If you've ever wondered how far Jenna Ortega is prepared to go for a film role, the answer — apparently — is "full Tom Cruise mode." The Wednesday star is deep into training for her next film, and she's decided to set the Olympic bar somewhere between Tom Cruise and The Terminator.
The Action Star Aspirations
Ortega's latest project is Nasty, a film where she plays a gymnast, and she's not messing about. She sat down with Josh Horowitz to chat about everything from her relentless workout regime to her big-screen idols. In typical Jenna fashion, she managed to be both deadpan and tongue in cheek about the whole process, including a not-so-humble comparison to some of Hollywood's most notorious adrenaline junkies.
Asked to name which action icons she's competing with in her head, Ortega didn't hesitate:
Here's how she framed it during the interview:
"There's two people who operate at this athletic level that I'm on right now, and I think it's me and Tom. The day that I don't train, maybe he's on the up."
She also confessed she's never actually watched a Mission: Impossible film. Yes, really — she's prepping for full action stardom without ever seeing Ethan Hunt in action.
What's Coming Next
So far, Ortega's closest brush with big action was dodging Ghostface as Tara Carpenter in Scream — solid cardio, but not pure action hero fare. Nasty, where she'll star opposite Rose Byrne (playing her ever-so-slightly menacing gymnastics coach), looks set to be her first actual lead in the genre. She's producing the film as well, alongside Margot Robbie's LuckyChap outfit, which should help stack the odds in her favour for showing off those Tom Cruise-level stunts.
Nasty lands Ortega in her first lead action role — produced with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap.
If you're trying to keep track, here's the current schedule of where to spot Ortega in 2026 and beyond:
- She's leading Nasty — going head-to-head (and probably toe-to-toe) with Rose Byrne.
- Ortega returns to the Addams mansion for season 3 of Wednesday.
- She co-stars with Natalie Portman in the art-world drama The Gallerist.
- Watch for her in Taika Waititi’s new sci-fi film Klara and the Sun, due 23 October 2026.
- She'll be teaming up with Glenn Powell, Emma Mackey, and Samuel L. Jackson in J.J. Abrams' The Great Beyond.