There's no shortage of theories about what's ahead in Netflix's hit stalker drama, but there's one YOU fan theory about Ellie that Jenna Ortega doesn't like. The 17-year-old actor's character became a fan favorite in Season 2 thanks to her willingness to stand up to Joe. And while Ortega values Ellie's strength, she doesn't want to see the teen turn to the dark side in order to get revenge on Love for murdering her sister.
In a new interview with Insider, Ortega said that she's heard the theories that Ellie will return to L.A. in order to kill either Love or Joe, but she feels it would be against her character's nature to exact that kind of revenge. "Right now we see her as somebody who's incredibly hurt and has been screwed over and kind of got the worst of the worst — to bring her back and make her a murderer like Joe defeats the purpose because that's not her character and that's not in her heart," she explained.
Ortega prefers to think Ellie will return to L.A. to release the Dark Face of Love movie based on Beck's book that was being adapted by Forty. "I really want Ellie to come out of this stronger than before, and I know how badly she wants to be a director," she told the outlet. What's most essential to the actor, is that her character's "innocence" be maintained and that she stays true to herself.
Netflix announced in January that there will be a Season 3 of YOU, but Ellie's return hasn't been confirmed. Despite the lack of confirmation, Ortega and series creator Sera Gamble both seem eager for the young character to return. In a Dec. 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gamble hinted that Joe's former neighbor could still cause him trouble in the future. "Ellie is still in Joe's life," she said. "He's sending her money. She hates him, but he is sending her money. So that door remains open for us."
As for Ortega, she seems eager to see how Ellie's story will play out. "I don't think her storyline has fully run its course," she said to Insider. "Ellie is out there knowing that Joe's a murderer and could do something about it if she really needed to." Could Joe's dark secrets end up being exposed by his former neighbor? Given that the series began with his character manipulating and stalking Beck, who wasn't that much older than Ellie, it would be fitting for her to be the person who brings him to justice.
She just needs to make sure she avoids becoming Love's next victim in the process. "If I come back that would be great but, at the same time, I'm kind of scared because Ellie knows so much," Ortega said. "I mean, they couldn't kill my character right? Like, could they kill the 15-year-old? ... But also, she knows too much!"
