If you've been binge-watching Netflix series Wednesday since its November release, you'll already be very familiar with Jenna Ortega – our very own modern day Wednesday Addams and the latest cult actor on our radar.
The 20-year-old star may have found extra fame on Netflix's latest must-watch show, but she's actually been in the biz since she was a child actor, and was the main character in Disney's Stuck In The Middle when she was just 12.
These days, she's got tens of millions of Instagram followers and made The Hollywood Reporter's Rising Stars list for 2022 – with plenty more exciting roles in the pipeline (including another in the Scream horror franchise). So what else do we know about Jenna Ortega? Read on to find out:
Jenna Ortega is 20 years old
As of 2022, Jenna is 20 – she was born on 27 September 2002 (so yes, she's a libra).
She was born in California and has Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.
Jenna was born in the Coachella Valley in Southern California. She is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent – her father is Mexican and her mother is Mexican and Puerto Rican. In 2016, she talked about her heritage in an essay for POPSUGAR, describing herself as: “75 percent Mexican and 25 percent Puerto Rican,” and adding: “My great-grandma on my mother’s side migrated from a small ranch near Sinaloa, Mexico. She came to the United States as an illegal immigrant in hopes to make a better life for her four daughters.”
Of her Puerto Rican family, she said her maternal grandfather was “born in Puerto Rico, moved to New York with his family… then moved to California.”
Speaking to Elle, Jenna revealed that her heritage was one of the main reasons she took the role in Wednesday. “I wasn’t looking to do TV again, but a big part of the reason why I said yes is because of the representation factor,” she said. "I know the feeling of growing up and not being able to relate to the people onscreen or never really seeing myself… Wednesday is such an iconic character, and such a badass. It’s really important that her history as a young Latina was shown for the first time — the heritage being shown as normal. It’s nice that there are hints and touches of her heritage there, but it’s not overwhelming. That’s the way life should be.”
You season 4 has got an *even earlier* release date, and first-look pics of Joe in London have just dropped. Best news ever!
Jenna Ortega has five siblings
Jenna was has five brothers and sisters – she was the fourth born. Her siblings are named Isaac, Mariah, Mia, Aaliyah and Markus (the latter of whom are twins).
Jenna's mum, Natalie, often shares sweet pictures of the family on Instagram.
Jenna is good friends with Olivia Rodrigo
The two former Disney stars are close pals in real life! Having previously met on the Disney Channel comedy series Bizaardvark when they were 16 and 15, Jenna surprised Olivia by presenting her with her Best Music Documentary prize at the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Then, Olivia interviewed Jenna for The Face in November 2022, in which they revealed they had been firm friends for ten years.
Jenna Ortega also had major roles in Jane The Virgin and You
Wednesday isn't the only fan-favourite series that Jenna has played a part in. You may not have realised that she played Young Jane in telenovela satire comedy Jane The Virgin – and she was mighty cute, too.
She tweeted of the series finale in 2019: “Still can’t believe Jane the Virgin has finished its run. To be a part of this beautiful story from beginning to end & working w/those I look up to has been one of the greatest blessings. Forever grateful for the cast/crew and ofc, jane gloriana villanueva.”
It doesn't end there, because you may also recognise Jenna from another cult Netflix show – none other than the creepy You, starring Penn Badgley.
Jenna played teenager Ellie Alves in series 2 of the show.
Jenna Ortega is a modern day Scream Queen
Jenna has starred in numerous horror movies. As part of the modern Scream franchise, she plays Tara Carpenter, and is set to reprise her role in the sixth movie.
She also starred in X, The Babysitter: Killer Queen and Insidious 2. During her interview with Olivia Rodrigo for The Face, she explained why she is drawn to the darker genres. “I love things that are a bit off-putting, things when the closer you look, really aren’t that pretty,” she said. “I love things that are disturbing. They’re interesting and there are so many routes and variations of storytelling that you can do with stuff like that. Also, to play a character that is always in a victim position, it’s a nice challenge for me to give them some personality that makes them different from one another.”
Jenna cut a fringe for her role in Wednesday
She told Elle: "For Wednesday, we were doing hair and makeup tests at Tim [Burton]’s house, and at one point we tried clip-on bangs. Tim really liked it, but there was just something off about it. So I looked over at the hairdresser and asked, ‘Do you want to just cut bangs?’ I felt really lucky, because we were on the same page about everything. It was nice to be doing this version of Wednesday, and I’ve kept the fringe. There’s something about bangs that feels so much like myself. I don’t care about the extra work that goes into them. I’ll go the extra mile for these bangs.”
Jenna has been honest about her breakouts and acne
The Neutrogena ambassador also told Elle: “I do a lot of horror films, and my skin cannot stand stage blood. I have instant breakouts every time. That’s why I started doing more than the bare minimum with washing my face and staying hydrated. I use the Neutrogena Stubborn Texture Daily Cleanser, because it gives me a deeper clean while still being gentle on my skin. It takes off all the stage dirt and oils, and I know my skin really likes it. And I use sunscreen every day.”
Via Glamour UK
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