"Neck and neck" with Tom Cruise? Jenna Ortega compares herself while training for 'Nasty'
Jenna Ortega’s grind for Nasty is drawing a surprising Hollywood comparison—and it just might signal her most ambitious chapter yet.
On the latest episode of the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Jenna Ortega said she’s been deep into gymnastics conditioning and stunt work for her next movie, Nasty—and she’s thinking big about where this could take her. She joked that she’s been studying action icons while training and made clear she wants a real run at the action lane, not just a one-off.
“I think it ’s me and Tom going neck and neck,” Ortega said, putting herself right alongside Tom Cruise.
Ortega added that she’s been looking to “the greats” for inspiration, name-checking Arnold Schwarzenegger, and admitted she still needs to queue up Pumping Iron before cameras roll. Coming off Wednesday and a streak of horror hits like Scream and X, she framed Nasty as her most physically demanding pivot yet.
The film
Nasty is a sports drama set in the world of gymnastics. The story follows a young athlete chasing an Olympic berth while facing down a formidable obstacle: her own coach.
- Jenna Ortega — starring
- Rose Byrne — co-starring
- Mary Bronstein — director
- Isabella Jarosz — writer; the script appeared on the 2024 Black List
- LuckyChap (Margot Robbie’s company) — producing; Robbie has not been announced as cast
Filming is scheduled for fall 2026 . A release date hasn’t been set.