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Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams on Playing Klara, Big Families, Red-Carpet Looks, and Who Survives the Horror Movie

Vogue · ▶ 8:03 · 8 min read
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Overview

In this episode of Vogue's Off the Cuff, Klara and the Sun co-stars Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams take turns asking each other a set of rapid-fire questions. The format is light, but along the way the two talk about the physical and emotional demands of playing Klara, what they noticed about each other on set, and the stories behind several of their best-known red-carpet looks.

8 min read
0:17

Icebreakers: Alien Movie Nights and Unlikely Comfort Films

Asked what movie to show an alien first, Amy Adams jokingly offers Arrival, a film in which she speaks to aliens, then drops it as "too on the nose" and picks The Wizard of Oz. Her co-star approves of it as a great introduction.

The answer to "most unexpected comfort movie" is 300, the Spartan film. Whoever answered says they watched it every Sunday for at least five years. The other admits it might put them to sleep.

The question about a "completely useless talent" leads to a compliment. One of them argues that the other's talent isn't useless because it makes people laugh: very niche references and callbacks. The example comes from set. When they put on their wig caps, one told the other they looked like a Snork, and the person on the receiving end assures viewers that anyone who has worn a wig cap will know the comparison is accurate.

1:05

Growing Up in Big Families

Both actors come from large families. One has six kids in the family, the other seven, and it turns out both are the fourth child. Asked for the worst part, they agree on the lack of privacy. One adds a joke: people fear someone is following them up the stairs, but in a big family someone actually is, "so you better run." The upside, as one puts it, is being comfortable with social interaction.

1:37

Personal Questions: Daydreaming, Blue Hour, and Tech Help

As a kid, one of them was told off for daydreaming and reading so much that they neglected everything else, sitting in bed with a book. The other points out that daydreaming is now basically their job.

A small thing that instantly improves the day is a good moment of light, specifically the blue hour right after the sun goes down. It's described as the favorite kind of exterior light, the kind that makes everyone stop and remark on how beautiful it looks.

Asked what they still call for help with, the answer is anything technological, mostly handled by a daughter. She goes through the phone and deletes apps her parent is paying for and doesn't need.

2:08

Wednesday's Deadpan Versus Klara's Curiosity

The most substantive career question asks Ortega whether Wednesday's deadpan or Klara's curiosity is harder to play. She leans toward Klara. Klara is so spontaneous, she explains, that "you just never know what's coming," and you don't know how far you're about to take a moment. The set felt so safe and playful that it was easy to go overboard. Wednesday is hard in a different way: the role means not visibly breathing, blinking, or showing anything. Ortega concludes that both are very physical characters, and both are complex and very different from each other.

A related question asks what very human habit Ortega had to switch off to play Klara. She says that in everyday conversation people put up barriers to protect themselves or someone else. Klara has no such barrier. When she did try to be defensive, Ortega says, it came out obviously and badly.

Adams is asked what skill she would like a future role to teach her, since she has already sung, danced, and spoken to aliens on screen. She says she has always wanted to learn guitar.

2:50

What They Noticed About Each Other

When each asks what the other noticed while they worked together, the answers turn affectionate. One is told they are hilarious, and that people don't realize how quick and witty they are. The speaker says they have never laughed harder on a set.

The other is called "kind of a Goonie," as in "Goonies never say die." The explanation is that they will try anything, they are game for digging deep to get to the truth of a scene, and they bring a real teamwork attitude. The recipient replies that they love The Goonies.

3:47

Guess the Look

Next, each identifies photos of their own past looks:

  • Enchanted: Adams recognizes her "curtain dress" immediately.
  • Met Gala (2022 or 2023, the speaker isn't sure): A Thom Browne look, which the other says makes them look like the Little Mermaid. The wearer says they love Thom Browne, calls him a sweetheart, and says he is their birthday twin.
  • The Oscars, in Oscar de la Renta: The wearer says the aim was to dress like their 14-year-old self would have wanted to at the Oscars, something princess-like and dreamlike.
  • Ashi Studio at the London premiere of Wednesday season 2, last year: Ortega describes it as snakeskin-like and very intense to put on. She loved it and thought the overall effect was striking.
  • Valentino at the Golden Globes: Adams identifies it confidently. She says she wore it with what she believes was a six-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond, and that it was flowy and dreamlike, the way she likes a dress. She first wonders whether she was nominated for The Fighter, then corrects herself: it was American Hustle, and she won.
5:10

Lightning Round

The quick-choice round yields a list of preferences: musical over sci-fi, horror over comedy, Adams's American Hustle wardrobe over her Enchanted one, Ortega's own wardrobe over Wednesday's, singing over dancing, dramatic over deadpan, platforms over flats, vintage over new, all black over a pop of color, sunset over sunrise, and book before film. On ball gown versus trouser suit, the answer is ball gown, with the admission that they know they "should" say trouser suit.

5:50

Who Survives the Horror Movie, and Who Wins the Dance-Off

On which of them would last longer in a horror film, one names the other, who answers that people would be more excited to see her go. Her co-star objects: "That's not what it's about, Amy." Adams explains that she was thinking in archetypes, where the mom goes early. They settle on a shared ending as "the unlikely duo fighting the baddie," and decide they're unstoppable.

The dance-off question produces more mutual deference. Each says the other would win. They remember dancing at the wrap party "for a while." One admits they would never stop, even if someone tapped them on the shoulder. Ortega says Amy has a "floaty" quality that is light and makes dancing look effortless. A joke about a "body wave" as a signature move turns into a quick demonstration, and they conclude that the other person has the more memorable moves.

6:52

Closing Reflections

At the end, each says what the session revealed. Adams says there is much more about Ortega she would like to learn, and calls her genuine and open. On set she had to remind herself she wasn't Ortega's age, catching herself wondering whether she was acting like she was in her 20s. She says she loves working with younger actors because their energy is contagious, and adds that Ortega has an intellect that is contagious too and is a very hard worker.

Ortega says she isn't sure she learned anything new about Adams. She explains that Adams gives so much to everyone around her and wears her heart on her sleeve unapologetically, so Ortega already had an inkling of most of it, though she loves hearing her talk regardless. Adams admits she sometimes has to work not to be maternal. Ortega replies that she has to stop herself from burying herself in Adams's arms. They agree to stop holding back, hug, and sign off with "Bye, Vogue" and "Thanks for watching Off the Cuff."

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