Jenna Ortega, known for her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix's hit series Wednesday, has secured the lead role in Leos Carax's upcoming film Lily May B. The 23-year-old actress, who also starred in the Scream franchise and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is taking on a project that marks a significant departure from her previous work.
About the Film
The synopsis for Lily May B reads: "Once upon a time, there was a little girl, a young woman and a young boy. They each held a secret too heavy to bear. They met in an 'end-of-the-world' world, and together rode a big motorcycle through empty cities, deserted freeways, immemorial forests. On their journey, they encountered many dangers, but kept going. In search of who they were; in search of a place to B, maybe?"
Director Carax issued a cryptic statement: "Once upon a time, this is what destroyed us, and this is what kept us alive." The full cast will be announced in September, with filming beginning next spring.
Production Details
Hugo Sélignac is producing the film with Mediawan's Chi-Fou-Mi Productions. Sélignac said: "Leos Carax is one of the reasons I fell in love with Cinema. Lily May B carries forward his singular vision with the freedom, raw emotion, and visual power that are uniquely his. Seeing this universe meet Jenna Ortega's immense talent today feels simply natural."
Carax's previous film Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ortega's Career Reflections
Ortega recently admitted on Kid Cudi's Big Bro podcast that she nearly quit acting before landing her breakthrough role in the thriller series You. "I didn't know what else I was gonna do. I've never really considered anything else, more so recently, just out of sake of curiosity and wanting another life experience," she explained. "When I was a teenager, I'd gotten off a children's show, and I didn't know what I was going to do. It just felt like a good time to call it quits."
Fortunately, after months of discussions with her team, she booked the role on You. "I went on that set, and I loved it and had the best time. I thought, 'Yeah, there's no way I could let this go'," she added.
