If you were online during the 2023 SAG Awards, you saw it. That ten-second stretch of silence that felt like an eternity—but in a good way. Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza stood at the podium, staring into the souls of everyone in the room with the kind of unblinking intensity usually reserved for Victorian ghosts or very judgmental cats.
"I don't know why they paired us up together," Plaza said, her voice a flat line of pure irony.
"I know, we have nothing in common," Ortega replied, matching the energy perfectly.
Then, in a moment of synchronized spookiness, they both vowed to curse the families of the producers who put them together. It was the "blink and you’ll miss it" moment that launched a thousand memes. But honestly? It wasn't just a funny bit. It was a passing of the torch. It was the moment the world realized we have two generations of "Deadpan Latinas" dominating Hollywood at the exact same time.
The Deadpan Synergy Nobody Saw Coming
People love a good "who’s the next [insert famous actor]" comparison. Usually, it's lazy. But with Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza, it actually makes sense. You’ve got Plaza, who basically pioneered the modern "don't-care-if-I'm-here" energy as April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation. Then you’ve got Ortega, who took the iconic Wednesday Addams and made her feel fresh for a Gen Z audience that is, frankly, exhausted by everything.
Both actresses have a specific brand of humor. It’s dry. It’s dark. It’s slightly threatening.
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But what’s really cool is how they’ve both navigated their Latina identities while playing these roles. For a long time, Latina characters in Hollywood were shoved into very specific boxes—either the hyper-expressive "spitfire" or the tragic victim.
Seeing two women of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent being allowed to be grumpy, weird, and emotionally unavailable is actually a huge shift. Priscilla Blossom at Refinery29 once pointed out that this "deadpan Latina" archetype is a form of reclamation. It’s the right to not have to smile for the camera.
Death of a Unicorn: The Collaboration We Finally Got
For a while, fans were just begging for them to be in a movie together. "Make them sisters!" "Make Aubrey play Wednesday's long-lost aunt!" The internet was loud about it.
Well, we sort of got our wish, just not in the way people expected. In early 2025, A24 released Death of a Unicorn.
If you haven't seen it yet, the premise is as chaotic as you’d imagine for an A24 flick. Jenna Ortega plays Ridley, a teenager who—along with her dad, played by Paul Rudd—accidentally runs over a unicorn while driving to a corporate retreat.
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Now, while Aubrey Plaza isn't the co-star in a "buddy cop" sense, the film feels like it was grown in the same dark, satirical soil that both actresses thrive in. It’s a movie about corporate greed and mythical creatures being harvested for pharmaceuticals. Ortega is the heart of the film, acting as the moral compass while everything around her gets increasingly bloody and absurd.
Critics were a bit split on it—some felt the satire was a little too "on the nose"—but everyone pretty much agreed that Ortega’s performance was the glue holding the madness together.
Why the "Twin" Comparison is Actually Wrong
Even though we love to call them "twins," they’re actually pretty different when you look at their career trajectories.
Aubrey Plaza is the queen of the indie pivot. She spent years being the "funny girl" on NBC before she started taking these wild, gritty roles in movies like Emily the Criminal or her stint in The White Lotus. She’s unpredictable. You never quite know if she’s doing a bit or if she’s actually annoyed during an interview.
Jenna Ortega, on the other hand, is a Scream Queen through and through. She’s got this incredible ability to do "prestige horror." From X to Scream VI and obviously Wednesday, she’s much more rooted in the genre space than Plaza ever was.
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While Plaza’s weirdness feels like a chaotic art project, Ortega’s feels more like a controlled, gothic precision. One is a wildfire; the other is a cold, sharp blade.
Notable Career Similarities
- Early Starts: Both were working in the industry long before their "big breaks." Ortega was in Jane the Virgin as a kid; Plaza was doing UCB improv in New York.
- Producer Credits: Both women have moved into executive producing their own projects (Wednesday for Jenna, Emily the Criminal for Aubrey) to have more control over their characters.
- The "Vibe": They both possess a "resting-bitch-face" that has become a multi-million dollar asset.
What’s Next for the Duo?
So, will we ever see them actually share a screen in a lead-role capacity?
Right now, Jenna is buried in Wednesday Season 2 prep and a handful of other high-profile projects. Meanwhile, Aubrey has been busy entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Agatha All Along and working on her own directorial projects.
There’s a persistent rumor in Hollywood that Plaza wants to "fill the female Tim Burton slot." Considering Ortega is Tim Burton’s current muse, it feels like their paths are destined to cross again in a much bigger way than a 30-second awards show skit.
How to Channel That Ortega-Plaza Energy
If you’re a fan of their vibe, there’s actually something to be learned from how they handle fame. Neither of them seems to care about being the "typical" celebrity.
- Stop over-explaining yourself. Both actresses are famous for giving short, direct answers. It’s okay to let the silence sit.
- Protect your privacy. Ortega has been vocal about how social media can mess with your sense of self. Taking breaks isn't just a trend; it's a survival tactic.
- Lean into the "weird." If you have a hobby or an interest that isn't "mainstream," own it. Plaza’s love for the absurd and Ortega’s obsession with old cinema is what makes them interesting.
Honestly, the world has enough "perfectly polished" influencers. What we need more of is the authentic, slightly creepy, and undeniably talented energy that Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza brought to that SAG stage.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to see the best of their work, skip the highlight reels and watch Emily the Criminal (for Plaza) and The Fallout (for Ortega). It shows their range way better than any viral clip ever could.