Jenna Ortega, 22, has finally addressed the rumors she’s dating 61-year-old Johnny Depp.
Ortega has just appeared in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, directed by Depp’s frequent collaborator Tim Burton.
Before its release, reports suggested the Pirates of the Caribbean star could make a surprise appearance in the sequel of the 1988 classic.
Amid this, fans speculated Ortega and Depp could be an item.
Now, Ortega has decided to address the rumors once and for all.
X actress Jenna Ortega has previously spoken about her experiences with “toxic” and “manipulative” trolls on social media—and how she manages to deal with them.
As part of Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Ortega told Maleficent star Elle Fanning:
“Social media, what it does to anyone our age, it’s such a comparing game. It influences bandwagon mentality. It’s very manipulative.”
She also shared that after rising to fame with Wednesday, the volume of online trolling she faced became overwhelming.
“They see your vulnerability and twist it in ways you don’t always expect,” Ortega said emotionally.
“It’s so strange. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do this. It’s such a hard thing to balance. Because how do you be honest without jeopardizing your own health and safety? It’s very easy to feel almost out of control.”
Now, Ortega’s personal life is making headlines—particularly the rumors linking her to Johnny Depp.
Rumors about Jenna Ortega and Johnny Depp began circulating after gossip blog Deuxmoi claimed the two had been spotted together while working on the Beetlejuice sequel.
Previously, Ortega was quoted as allegedly saying, “This is so ridiculous I can’t even laugh. I have never met or worked with Johnny Depp in my life. Please stop spreading lies and leave us alone.” However, she has since clarified that the quote was entirely fabricated.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Ortega addressed the situation:
“It’s so insane to me. I never spoke on that. I never said anything like that. Articles really do just make up their own quotes, but I thought that that was pretty hilarious.”
She also revealed that the rumor had spread so widely that even her co-star Richard E. Grant brought it up on set.
“He came up to me and just said, ‘Oh, so you and Johnny?’” Ortega recalled. “I laughed because I don’t know that person.”
Along with Ortega, a representative for the Edward Scissorhands actor has also squashed the reports.
Speaking to NME, the rep said: “Mr. Depp has no personal or professional relationship with Ms. 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.”
So that’s put those rumors to bed.
