Jenna Ortega recalls last time she saw her late friend Cameron Boyce; 'He was so sweet'

Jenna Ortega is thinking back on her friend Cameron Boyce, who died in 2019. The two were child stars and had known each other from a young age, with Ortega sharing one of the last moments where they saw each other, highlighting how sweet and kind he was to others.

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Over the past month, Ortega has been promoting her film "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," often joined by her castmates Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara. "The last time I saw my friend Cameron Boyce — I'd known him since I was like 11 or 12, and we were supposed to kiss [in an audition] and he knew me, since I was 11 or 12. This is a few years later, 15, 16. [He] came in, we were supposed to be love interests," said Ortega in an interview with the French channel Canal+. 

Ortega shared that Boyce noticed her discomfort and stood up for her, something she appreciates and remembers. "But because he obviously felt weird and he was a bit older, he was like — we both just kinda looked at each other and we were like, 'No, we can't do this,'" she said. 

"And it was so sweet because I was uncomfortable and I was having a hard time at the audition. And then, we wished each other well."

© Frazer Harrison

More details about Boyce's death

Cameron Boyce died in 2019, after suffering a seizure in his sleep. The death rattled the entertainment community, particularly the child stars who worked and grew alongside him. He was known for his work in series and films like "Grown Ups," "Jessie," "Descendants," "Mrs. Fletcher," and more. 

“It is with a profoundly heavy heart that we report that this morning we lost Cameron,” said Boyce's family in a statement. “He passed away in his sleep due to a seizure which was a result of an ongoing medical condition for which he was being treated. The world is now undoubtedly without one of its brightest lights, but his spirit will live on through the kindness and compassion of all who knew and loved him."

“We are utterly heartbroken and ask for privacy during this immensely difficult time as we grieve the loss of our precious son and brother."