‘I’m Unfamiliar with That Person’

Nearly a year after rumors surfaced that Jenna Ortega was dating the much older actor Johnny Depp, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star is setting the record straight.

In a recent video interview with BuzzFeed, Ortega was asked about the “craziest rumor” she’s heard about herself. She responded, “Probably that I was in a serious relationship with Johnny Depp and I wanted everybody to leave us alone. It’s so insane to me. I never said anything like that.”

“I thought that that was pretty hilarious. I was on set with Richard E. Grant and he came up to me and he said, ‘Oh, so you and Johnny–‘ and I laughed because I don’t know that person,” she added.

Rumors started after Deuxmoi, a celebrity gossip account on social media, claimed that Ortega and Depp, 61, were seen together while working on the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel.

At the time, there was speculation that Depp might make an appearance in the Tim Burton film, after his name showed up in a Google search for the sequel’s cast, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star’s representative denied the rumors, stating, “Mr. Depp has no personal or professional relationship with Miss Ortega whatsoever. He has never met her or spoken to her. He is not involved in any project with her, nor does he intend to be. He is appalled by these baseless and malicious rumors that are intended to harm his reputation and career,” told NME in August 2023.

Although they don’t share any personal connections, both Depp and Ortega have professional ties to Tim Burton. Depp has collaborated with Burton on several films and animated projects, including Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, and Corpse Bride. Ortega first worked with Burton on Wednesday, and she is set to play Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz in the long-awaited sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice.

Talking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show about appearing in the movie, Ortega expressed her excitement about joining the beloved franchise. “Never in my wildest dreams. I just never could have anticipated something like that happening,” she said. “Lydia is the coolest character on the planet. Just everything about it, I was terrified.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to hit theaters on September 6.