Jenna Ortega Reveals the Role That Got Away — And No One Is Surprised

Jenna Ortega fans, here’s a fun bit of movie trivia that’ll have horror nerds doing a double take: Ortega very nearly made her mark on one of the wildest horror films of the last decade. During a recent stopover on Kid Cudi’s podcast 'Big Bro,' the Wednesday star got real about a major audition from her childhood—one that definitely slipped by most people's radar at the time.

The Hereditary Audition That Could Have Changed Everything

Apparently, when Ortega was just 12, she went out for the role of Charlie in Ari Aster’s 2018 genre bombshell Hereditary—the creepiest little sister in horror since, well, forever. Of course, that part ultimately went to Milly Shapiro, whose blank stare still haunts anyone who saw the film.

As Ortega tells it, this wasn’t just any run-of-the-mill audition. The details were so tightly under wraps that even she couldn’t make sense of what she was reading:

'I didn't know what I was looking at and they gave us barely any sides. It was like two pages of just ominous words that as a 12-year-old went over the head.'

Despite practically auditioning blind, Ortega knew something was up. 'I felt like this is an important movie,' she recalled. And, come on, you have to hand it to her—she called it pretty early.

Hereditary: Horror’s Modern Gut-Punch

If you somehow missed Hereditary, here’s the quick-and-dirty version: Toni Collette stars as Annie, a woman who basically loses control of her entire existence after the death of the family matriarch (played by Ann Dowd). Alex Wolff plays the brother, and the less you know about what happens to Shapiro’s character, the better. Director Ari Aster, working from his own script, launched straight into the big leagues with this one. The movie absolutely blew up and redefined what's possible for horror in the 2010s, if not traumatized half the audience in the process.

A Real ‘Sliding Doors’ Moment

Ortega didn’t land the part, but she harbors no hard feelings. She even remembers sitting in the theater years later, connecting the dots and telling her mom, 'This is the one that I said was going to be in.' Self-aware, a little amused, and fully appreciative, she described Hereditary as an 'incredible movie'—which, yeah, it is, even if you never want to watch it again.

Perspective from a Young Star

• Ortega was just 12 at the time of her audition for Hereditary.
• She tried out for the role of Charlie, which eventually went to Milly Shapiro.
• The audition sides were intentionally vague, barely two pages, leaving Ortega with almost no idea what was actually happening in the script.
• Ari Aster directed Hereditary, which features Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, and Ann Dowd.
• Ortega caught the significance of the project before even seeing the final film.
• She’s philosophical about missing out, saying she never lets herself get hung up on rejection: 'What's meant to be mine will come to me or, you know, I'll find somehow.'

Not Her Only ‘Almost’ Story

Ortega’s career, by the way, nearly took a sharp turn just a few years later—she actually thought about leaving acting before nabbing her part on Netflix’s You. Call it timing, luck, or cosmic casting roulette, but clearly, things worked out pretty well for her. Still, part of me wonders how different that Hereditary dinner table meltdown would’ve hit with Ortega as Charlie. One for the 'what if' files.