Jenna Ortega facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenna Ortega
Ortega at the 2024 Venice Film Festival
Born	Jenna Marie Ortega (2002-09-27) September 27, 2002 (age 22) Palm Desert, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2012–present

Jenna Marie Ortega (born September 27, 2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child and received recognition for her role as a younger version of Jane in The CW comedy-drama series Jane the Virgin (2014–2019). She then won an Imagen Award for her leading role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle (2016–2018). She played Ellie Alves in the thriller series You (2019) and starred in the family film Yes Day (2021), both for Netflix.

Ortega received praise for her performance as a traumatized high school student in the drama film The Fallout (2021). She gained wide recognition for portraying Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror-comedy series Wednesday (2022–present), for which she received nominations at the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also starred in the slasher films Scream (2022), X (2022), and Scream VI (2023), and the fantasy film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Media publications have dubbed Ortega as "Gen Z's scream queen". She has been featured on the Power 100 list from The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2024. Ortega has also been noted for her fashion, in addition to supporting various charitable causes.

Early life

Jenna Marie Ortega was born on September 27, 2002, in Coachella Valley, California, the fourth of six children. Her father is of Mexican descent and her mother is of Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestry. Due to her career, Ortega has not "really lived a normal lifestyle"; she has also expressed regret at missing the traditional high school experience and teenage milestones such as prom and graduation.

Career

2012–2017: Early acting roles and Disney

Ortega had become interested in acting from the age of six. Two years later, after her mother posted a video of Ortega doing a dramatic monologue on Facebook, Ortega got an agent and started getting auditions. She soon made her acting debut in 2012 with a guest appearance for Rob, in the episode "Baby Bug." Following this was an appearance on CSI: NY on the episode "Unspoken" as Aimee Moore. In 2013, she made her film debut with a minor role in the superhero movie Iron Man 3 as the vice president's daughter. Following this, Ortega starred in the horror film Insidious: Chapter 2, the second film in the Insidious franchise, as Annie, a supporting role. Both films were successful at the box-office.

In 2014, Ortega was cast in the role of Zoe Leon on the series Rake, and from 2014 to 2019, played the recurring younger version of Jane on the romantic-drama series Jane the Virgin. Also in 2014, she starred as Mary Ann in the direct-to-video comedy film The Little Rascals Save the Day. In 2015, Ortega was cast for the Netflix original series Richie Rich as part of the main cast, playing Darcy, a gold digger who spends Richie's money even without his consent; the show was panned. In the same year, she appeared in the film After Words as Anna Chapa.

From 2016 to 2018, Ortega then went on to star in the lead of the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle as Harley Diaz, the middle child of the seven Diaz siblings who is an aspiring inventor. Ortega's performance garnered her an Imagen Award nomination for Best Young Actor – Television; she later received two more nominations for her work on the same show, including a win in 2018. In the same year, she joined the cast on Disney's Elena of Avalor, as the voice of Princess Isabel, which ended in 2020. In 2017, she starred in the music video for Jacob Sartorius' "Chapstick", which also stars the singer. In the video, Ortega played Sartorius' love interest, which gained significant media coverage.

2018–2021: Transition to mature roles

Ortega in 2020

In 2018, Ortega starred in the film Saving Flora in the lead role of Dawn, a circus owner's daughter. After the ending of Stuck in the Middle, Ortega aimed to act in more mature projects but found people assumed Disney roles were "all you can do, or all you were meant for". She considered quitting acting several times, stating she "was too old for the young roles and too young for the older roles". In 2018, Ortega was cast as Ellie Alves in the second season of the Netflix thriller series You, which was released on December 26, 2019. Like the show's first season, the second season received positive reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter's Robyn Bahr noting Ortega as "a standout performer". Retrospectively, Ortega said the show is "easily one of my favorite sets that I've ever, ever been on" and appreciated the creative freedom she was given. She was slated to return for the third and fourth seasons but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts.

Ortega played Phoebe in the Netflix horror film The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which was released in September 2020 to negative critical reviews. Ortega also voiced Brooklynn in the Netflix animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022). In 2021, she made her writing debut with the book It's All Love. Ortega subsequently starred in the Netflix comedy movie Yes Day (2021), portraying a stubborn teenager who wants more independence from her parents. She appreciated the film's representation of people of color because it was shown in "a casual setting where it's acknowledged" in lieu of "shoving it down your throat"; she stated it "could be a really good thing for young people of color to see". Yes Day was released in March 2021 to mixed reviews. IndieWire lauded Ortega as "very capable" and the Associated Press referred to her as "an impressively poised young actor".

Ortega led the high-school drama film The Fallout. The Fallout premiered at South by Southwest on March 17, 2021, and was released on HBO Max on January 27, 2022. The film received a positive response from critics and Ortega's acting was lauded. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times described her performance as "grounded and deeply moving" while The Hollywood Reporter wrote her "beautifully nuanced turn understands the nothing-to-look-at-here façade and the chinks in the armor".

2022–present: Mainstream breakthrough

In the slasher film Scream (2022)—the fifth film in the Scream franchise—Ortega played Tara Carpenter, on which she stated: "I don't even think there are words in the English language to correctly express how happy, excited and nervous I am for this journey". Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett cast Ortega because of her ability to play both horror and comic tones, and for the sound of her scream. She felt nervous about joining a well-known franchise, wanting to "do it justice" without "ripping anybody off". She said that working on the film taught her the importance of cast chemistry to the natural flow of the production process. Scream was a critical and commercial success, becoming the 28th-highest-grossing film of 2022. According to The A.V. Club, Ortega demonstrated "incredible" resilience and resolve in her role. She also won the MTV Movie Award for Most Frightened Performance.

Ortega later appeared in the Foo Fighters–led horror film Studio 666 (2022). Reviewers said she was underused; according to the Los Angeles Times, "[n]ot even [a] cameo from ... 2022's newly minted Scream Queen Jenna Ortega ... can offer true horror bona fides to this flick". She then starred in the slasher film X (2022), which was directed and written by Ti West, who said Ortega was "fearless in her commitment". Ortega signed onto the project because of its script, calling it "the most outrageous thing I've ever read", and the opportunity to work with West. She found the filming process to be enjoyable and unique due to West's style of shooting. X became Ortega's best-reviewed film on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes; The Australian dubbed her and co-star Mia Goth "scene-stealers". The comedy-horror American Carnage was Ortega's final film release of 2022. The A.V. Club said she was continuing "her streak as the new it-girl of horror with a stubborn punk persona that masks her care for other people", while IGN lauded her "no-shits-given shell".

Ortega promoting Wednesday in 2022

In May 2021, Ortega was cast as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy-horror series Wednesday (2022), which she called a "new chapter" in her career. She auditioned through a Zoom call with director Tim Burton, during which she read a four-page monologue. The casting team felt her portrayal offered the character the necessary empathy. She was initially hesitant to accept the part because she wanted to focus on film acting and feared working on another television series would prevent her from booking the roles she wanted. To prepare for the role, Ortega underwent "the most physical transformation I've ever done", cutting her hair and dying it black, as well as altering her mannerisms, style of speaking, and facial expressions. She also learned to play cello and speak German, read the original Addams Family comic, and watched the 1960s television adaptation. Ortega called the production of Wednesday's first season her "most overwhelming job" in 2022, and spoke about being in a constant state of confusion and stress over the direction of the series and character. She said that she had never "had to put my foot down on a set in the way that I had to on Wednesday", believing that the initial writing was nonsensical from a character standpoint and did not suit Wednesday's personality. While filming some scenes, Ortega would change her lines without informing the crew.

Upon Wednesday's release, critics widely praised Ortega: CNN said that her performance sets the series apart from similar spin-offs, being "relentlessly strange, a portrait in unblinking intensity and oddly endearing all at once". Wednesday became one of Netflix's most-watched shows, receiving over 1 billion viewing hours within a month. Ortega's performance received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, becoming the category's second-youngest nominee. She later spoke about her discomfort with becoming well-known for her work on the show, having had a creatively unpleasant experience filming it.

In March 2023, Ortega hosted an episode of NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. Ortega reprised her role as Tara Carpenter in Scream VI. She said her character had more personality in the film than in the previous installment, in which she "was screaming and crying the entire time". When creating Tara's personality, Ortega considered several of the character's traits, including her favorite color, fashion style, makeup, and sense of humor. Scream VI was released in March 2023 and grossed over $169 million on a budget of $33–35 million. Deadline Hollywood attributed its box-office success partially to Ortega's star power. In a review, Variety's Owen Gleiberman praised her "surly spunk", and Slant Magazine said she "fantastically embodie[d] the role". In November 2023, Ortega reportedly exited the Scream franchise due to scheduling conflicts with the filming of Wednesday's second season. The Hollywood Reporter later said she left the franchise after an unsuccessful request for seven-figure pay. In the crime thriller film Finestkind (2023), she played Mabel. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to negative reviews. Many journalists said Ortega had been miscast.

Ortega at the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice film premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival

Ortega began 2024 with a starring role in the drama Miller's Girl, opposite Martin Freeman. The film tells the story of Cairo Sweet (Ortega), a high schooler whose writing ability captures her teacher's interest, which leads to a complicated relationship between the two. She called her character "the most complex character that I've ever played" and described the material as risky since she thought it would provoke discussions on topics people may find disturbing. RogerEbert.com's Christy Lemire found Ortega "magnetic enough" to maintain the viewer's interest, although she thought the character's motives were predictable and illogical; Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press dubbed the film "a pointless, awkward turn" in her career. Ortega appeared in and executive produced the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall, which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival. Director Tiffany Paulsen described Ortega as the casting team's first choice for the role of Remi Aguilar, a driven genius who falls in love with a rebellious musician. She later starred in the music video for Sabrina Carpenter's song "Taste".

Ortega starred in Burton's fantasy film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)—a sequel to Beetlejuice (1988)—playing Astrid Deetz, the cynical teenage daughter of Lydia Deetz. It opened the 81st Venice International Film Festival and received generally positive reviews. The Guardian commented that Ortega portrayed her character with "just the right note of soulful sullenness". Rolling Stone said she was an "unimpeachable" casting choice and commended the emotions she conveyed using a "world-class deadpan stare". In a more negative review, The Independent stated that she "can't help but seem a little bland and strait-laced" acting opposite Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse. The film has grossed $451 million worldwide; publications such as Boxoffice Pro and TheWrap credited Ortega for attracting younger audiences, particularly members of Generation Z.

Upcoming projects

Ortega is slated to reprise her role as Wednesday in the second season of Wednesday. She became an executive producer, which she described as a "natural progression" since the first season was "naturally already very collaborative". Ortega helped oversee the costumes, characters, and scripts. In addition, she has joined the cast of Klara and the Sun (2025) to be directed by Taika Waititi. She is set to appear in and executive produce the film Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) from Trey Edward Shults, that will co-star The Weeknd and Barry Keoghan. She is also due to star in Death of a Unicorn (2025), a dark comedy co-starring Paul Rudd, which will be produced and distributed by A24.

Other ventures

Activism and philanthropy

Ortega has used her platform to support various causes, including Pride Over Prejudice—a DoSomething campaign that advocates for immigrants and refugees—the National Bullying Prevention Center, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS. She is pro-immigration and anti-discrimination, telling Teen Vogue: "It's important to embrace your culture today because there are so many different ethnicities in America. At the end of the day, you are you. You've got to stay true to yourself, and you can't change yourself in order to fit in or to make someone else feel comfortable." Ortega is also an advocate for women's rights.

In 2016, Ortega organized a meet-and-greet event for fans to raise money for a young girl with cancer. At the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards, Ortega wore a jacket displaying the words "I Do Care and U Should Too" in response to the clothing First Lady of the United States Melania Trump wore on a visit to see immigrant children who were being housed without their parents. Trump's jacket read, "I Really Don't Care, Do U?". Ortega's protest gained significant media coverage; she told the Associated Press that Trump's apparel displayed a lack of judgement and as the first lady, she ought to show concern for migrant children. Ortega later said: "We should all care about each other and our country ... we are one country under God". In 2019, Ortega appeared at numerous We Day benefit concerts across the U.S. and Canada to raise funds for WE Charity.

In 2023, Ortega, as part of a group called Artists4Ceasefire, signed a letter urging the United States Congress and President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She later condemned the Tel al-Sultan attack and emphasized the need for a ceasefire.

Endorsements

In 2020, Ortega was named a brand ambassador for the cosmetics manufacturer Neutrogena and was the face of its "My Quinceañera Journey" campaign. In 2023, she became an ambassador for the sportswear company Adidas and the luxury fashion brand Dior. She was the face of Adidas Sportswear, the company's first new line in 50 years, as well as one of the faces of the #DareInGrisDior campaign. She starred alongside Danny Ramirez, Olivia Negron, and Patricia Mauceri in an advertisement for Doritos that aired at the Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024. The A.V. Club enjoyed the ad but opined that fans of Wednesday would be dissatisfied by Ortega's lack of goth, while TVLine stated that her limited screen time was "a real miscalculation".

Artistry

Influences

Ortega was initially inspired to pursue acting after watching Dakota Fanning in the 2004 thriller film Man on Fire. Ortega was unable to understand how a young child could perform in a way that could scare her so much; she analyzed the film several times and decided she wanted to be "the Puerto Rican version of [Fanning]". She also admired Fanning's sister Elle and followed both of their careers as a child. As she matured, Ortega aspired to be "the female version" of Denzel Washington, who appeared alongside Fanning in Man on Fire. She also admires Rodriguez, and fellow Disney stars Selena Gomez and Zendaya. Ortega said she admires Rodriguez becasuse they are both Latina actresses who struggled to break into the acting industry due to their lack of connections. In 2021, Ortega cited Riz Ahmed as a career role model, and praised his acting, manner of speaking, and activism.

Acting style and role choices

Megan Park, who directed Ortega in The Fallout, said that she knows "when to give her all and when to hold back" while acting, adding that "to have that understanding of herself as a performer at such a young age" is extremely rare. Burton compared Ortega's acting style to silent film acting, saying she expresses emotion through her eyes without words. Ortega says she tries not to be more prepared than necessary for a scene because "you never know what you're going to say next or what your next facial expression is going to be" in real life.

The Dodge College professor and agent Joe Rosenberg describes Ortega as an actress who has "a feel for the right project at the right time" and is "savvy" with her role choices. Ortega feels taking more varied acting roles is important to her to avoid being typecast; she told Entertainment Tonight in 2021 that she did not want to be "pigeonholed as an actor" and that her desire to accept the most diverse roles possible made the transition to mature roles easier for her. Ortega stated that she looks for projects that will have a "forever effect" for her, such as The Fallout. She has said she feels most comfortable starring in horror works, describing such projects as "very therapeutic". In 2023, Ortega said she is mindful of not "over-indexing on the gore scale" and feels "very conflicted" about her interests because there is "a part of me that always feels like the girl in the Coachella Valley".

Personal life

Ortega stated that she would like to be a "private person" and not discuss her romantic life publicly, believing that it distracts audiences from her work. She has described the concept of celebrities as "absolutely ridiculous". Ortega has said that her friends and family give her a sense of safety that helps her deal with the more challenging parts of her career, adding that her family "keep[s] [her] feet on the ground". She states that growing up in an industry dominated by adults forced her to mature faster than normal.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Iron Man 3	Vice President's daughter
	Insidious: Chapter 2	Annie
2014	The Little Rascals Save the Day	Mary Ann	Direct-to-video
2015	After Words	Anna Chapa
2018	Saving Flora	Dawn
2019	Wyrm	Suzie
2020	The Babysitter: Killer Queen	Phoebe Atwell
2021	Yes Day	Katie Torres
	The Fallout	Vada Cavell
2022	Scream	Tara Carpenter
	Studio 666	Skye Willow
	X	Lorraine Day
	American Carnage	Camila Montes
2023	Scream VI	Tara Carpenter
	Finestkind	Mabel
2024	Miller's Girl	Cairo Sweet
	Winter Spring Summer or Fall	Remi Aguilar	Also executive producer
	Beetlejuice Beetlejuice	Astrid Deetz
2025	Death of a Unicorn	Ridley	Post-production; also executive producer
	Hurry Up Tomorrow	TBA	Post-production; also executive producer
TBA	The Gallerist	TBA	Filming
	Klara and the Sun	Klara	Post-production

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations