Gender representation in the entertainment industry has always been a topic of debate. Irrespective of whether any movie is an action-thriller or a romantic-drama, the balance between male and female roles is always noticed. And this has increased in recent years with more focus on female-centric films.
Jenna Ortega is one such rising female talent who has made her name in quite a short period of time. However, her recent comments regarding the James Bond franchise and one Johnny Depp film show why Hollywood’s approach to gender equality is sometimes offtrack.
Jenna Ortega Doesn’t Want to Play Gender-Swapped Edward Scissorhands
Wednesday fame Jenna Ortega has earned a name for being the new scream queen of the entertainment industry. In a recent interview with MTV, the actress was asked if she would like to feature in a gender-flipped version of Johnny Depp‘s fantasy-romance Edward Scissorhands.
In the movie, Depp’s character was an unfinished artificial humanoid named Edward who fell in love with Winona Ryder’s character Kim. In the interview, Ortega got real about gender-swapped remakes and dropped some truth bombs.
I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own. I don’t like it when it’s like a spinoff — I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see another badass.
Ortega’s comments raise concern about the future of female roles and whether flipping the script is enough, like in this case. But she is not alone who has that opinion. There have been speculations going around for years now that a female Bond will be featured soon.
But the longtime producer Barbara Broccoli told The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t think a woman should play James Bond.” However, there have been some popular female-led roles also, like Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde, Ortega herself in Wednesday, Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow, and so on.
But none of their characters in the mentioned movies or shows are just rehashed versions of male roles. This just shows that audiences are ready for fresh takes and new original stories on female characters.
Problems with Hollywood’s Gender Flips
Although gender-swapped remakes might seem like a quick fix for Hollywood’s diversity problem, they have their own challenges and drawbacks.
Take the 2016 Ghostbusters remake. It sparked some controversy before it even hit theaters. Some fans saw it as a politically motivated attack on their childhood heroes. The backlash got so bad that it overshadowed any discussion on the film’s positives.
Another example is Ocean’s 8. Though it was a fun heist movie with a stellar cast, it still couldn’t escape the original’s shadow. Such remakes often get challenging for female actors.
They are expected to not only replace the original characters but to improve on them. They are expected to be funny but not offensive, and they have got to be attractive but not objectified. It is a fine line that male characters rarely have to deal with.
Also, the industry still has not got over the notion that the ultimate villain needs to be a guy. But perhaps the biggest issue is that remakes can feel like they are dodging something. Instead of creating new, original roles for women, studios are recycling old ideas that rarely sit well with the audience.
Edward Scissorhands is available to stream on Disney+.
Ghostbusters (2016) and Ocean’s 8 are available to stream on Prime Video.
Frequently asked questions
Would Jenna Ortega play a gender-swapped Edward Scissorhands?
No. In an MTV interview during the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice press tour, Ortega was asked about a gender-flipped Edward Scissorhands (an “Edith Scissorhands”) and pushed back on the idea. She said, “I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own,” adding that she doesn’t like spinoffs: “I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond’ … I want to see another badass” original character.
What did Jenna Ortega say about a female James Bond?
Ortega used Bond as an example of why she dislikes simply flipping the gender of an existing male character, joking that she does not want to see a “Jamie Bond” and would rather have new, original female roles. The article notes that longtime Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has separately taken a similar view, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t think a woman should play James Bond,” and arguing for fresh roles written for women instead.
Why does the article say Hollywood gender-swap remakes are problematic?
The article argues gender-flipped remakes carry heavy baggage. It points to the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, which drew intense fan backlash before it was even released, and to Ocean’s 8, which couldn’t fully escape the shadow of the original films despite a strong cast. It says female-led remakes face unfair expectations to both replace and improve on the originals, and that recycling old ideas can feel like a way of dodging the creation of genuinely new, original female roles.
