‘Wednesday’ and ‘Scream’ star Jenna Ortega denies being “dark and twisted” in ‘SNL’ opening monologue

12 March, 2023

Ortega

Jenna Ortega made her Saturday Night Live debut last night (March 11) and denied being “dark and twisted” despite being cast in several horrors.

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During her opening monologue Ortega spoke about her “crazy” couple of years starring in Wednesday, X, and most recently Scream 6.

“A lot of people assume I’m dark and twisted in real life because of those roles that I play but I’m not like that at all,” said Ortega. “I think there’s just something about my face where people see it and say ‘Hey, let’s throw blood on that’.”

“I wasn’t always in horror films. My first role was actually in a Colgate toothpaste commercial when I was nine,” she added, before showing the clip. “I am still that exact same girl.

“I love horror movies but honestly, I don’t get scared very easily. Part of the reason I wanted to come host SNL is that I wanted to face my biggest fear – happy, extroverted people who are always trying to perform.”

Ortega went on to call hosting SNL a “dream come true” before being joined onstage by Wednesday co-star and former SNL cast member Fred Armisen.

“When I was a kid, I wasn’t old enough to watch SNL yet so I took a tour of the studios with my parents about six years,” said Ortega. “They said ‘Man, wouldn’t it be amazing if you hosted someday’ and it seemed impossible then. But now I’m here tonight, my parents are in the audience and they get to see me say we have a great show for you tonight.”

Elsewhere in the show, Ortega starred in spoofs of The Parent Trap, X-Men, The Exorcist, viral video show Ridiculousness, and melodramatic teen romance shows. Check them out below.