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Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder reacted to their sweet interaction at the 2024 Venice Film Festival by going viral.
He Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The co-stars inadvertently sparked an online discussion about fame and personal boundaries when they attended the Venice International Film Festival in Italy to promote the Tim Burton film. During a photo call, Ryder and Ortega posed with co-star Catherine O'Hara as photographers could be heard yelling at the actors to take off their sunglasses.
He Stranger Things The star, who was wearing a pair of thick-framed black sunglasses, turned to Ortega, who was visibly hesitant to take off her sunglasses. It was then that the 21-year-old Wednesday The actor assured Ryder that he did not need to comply with the photographers' demands.
“No, you don't have to,” Ortega appeared to say to Ryder, who decided to keep his sunglasses on.
A clip of their sweet exchange went viral on X, formerly Twitter, as many fans pointed out the differences between Gen Z celebrities and older Hollywood stars when it comes to setting boundaries.
“I find it crazy that Jenna Ortega can have that much confidence at her young age and say it to Ryder when Ryder has been in the spotlight since before Ortega was born,” one X user responded to the video. “But it’s also generational — Gen Xers didn’t grow up learning boundaries like Gen Zers did.”
“There’s something very comforting about the younger generation encouraging the older generation (who were raised to please and say yes) to maintain their boundaries no matter what,” another fan noted.
A third person wrote: “I like this aspect of Gen Z women. They don’t do what they’re told just because someone else wants them to. Watching Jenna and Winona connect has been sweet.”
Now, the actors finally reacted to their wholesome interaction that went viral in an interview with UK Radio Hits released on September 4. At one point, the interviewer told Ortega that “it was so powerful” when he assured Ryder that she didn’t need to take off her sunglasses for photographers at the Venice Film Festival.
Although it seemed that the Shout Although the alum had no idea the pair had gone viral, Ryder exclaimed that she had “heard” about their exchange by crunching numbers online. “Apparently we went viral,” she said. Heathers The actor said excitedly: “I think this is my first viral moment!”
Ryder went on to explain the context behind the clip, noting that photographers were “yelling” at her to take off her sunglasses. “I was like, 'Uhhh,' and Jenna was like, 'No, you don't have to do that.' And it was amazing,” she recalled.
O'Hara, who sat next to Ortega and Ryder during the interview, chimed in: “It's lovely. And it sounds so simple, doesn't it?”
However, Ortega downplayed the viral moment and said that respecting personal boundaries does not deserve recognition. “That is not something to praise or applaud. You should not take off your glasses. It was hot, they looked cool,” he said.
He Schitt's Creek The actress admitted that she “succumbed” to pressure from photographers to take off her sunglasses, but ultimately decided to put them back on during the photo shoot. Turning to O'Hara, Ryder acknowledged how the simple gesture was one of the major differences between her generation of celebrities compared to Ortega's generation, saying, “We come from a generation where [you’re like]'Ugh, okay…'
Still, Ortega wasn’t convinced that personal boundaries were a purely generational issue, telling her co-stars: “But I also think it’s a lot easier to do it for other people. I feel like if I was wearing glasses and you told me that, I think you would have done it like that. Because it’s awkward!”
Of course, Ryder jokingly added that the photographers would have been “attacked” if they had yelled at Ortega to do the same.
In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – the long-awaited sequel to director Burton's 1988 film, Beetle juice – Ryder reprises her role as rebellious teen Lydia Deetz, though this time she has a daughter of her own. Lydia also reunites with her stepmother Delia, played by O'Hara, while Ortega plays Ryder's teenage daughter, Astrid.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It hits US theaters on September 6. Read more The Independent Two star review here.
