Why everyone is going wild for Wednesday star Jenna Ortega

2022-12-05

Everyone’s going wild for Wednesday! How ‘weirdo’ Jenna Ortega – star of Netflix’s hit Addams Family remake – beat the curse of the Disney Channel child star to become a bona fide A-list actress… after sacrificing high school experience for her career

Jenna stole millions of hearts with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s brand new Tim Burton-directed series Wednesday – and the 20-year-old certainly worked hard to get where she is now
She fell in love with acting at the young age of six, but at first, her parents told her that there was ‘no way in Hell’ they’d let her pursue the career. However, she persisted, and they eventually let her give it a go
Jenna, who grew up in Southern California, spent years trying to break into the industry, and would drive six-hours round trip to LA with her parents four times a week, until she finally landed her first role at age 10
The now-20-year-old’s determination to achieve her dreams is certainly impressive, as is her now-long list of acting credits – which includes Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, Netflix’s You, The Fallout, and Scream 5
But being propelled into the spotlight at such a young age certainly came with its drawbacks for Jenna, who later admitted that she was forced to ‘grow up quickly’ and struggled with the immense ‘pressure’
As Jenna makes waves in the acting world, FEMAIL took a look back at her impressive journey – from how she became one of Hollywood’s biggest breakout stars to how she handled her sudden fame at such a young age

Jenna Ortega stole millions of hearts with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s brand new Tim Burton-directed series Wednesday – which broke records with a whopping 341 million hours viewed in its first week – and the 20-year-old star certainly worked hard to get where she is now.

Jenna fell in love with acting at the young age of six, but at first, her parents told her that there was ‘no way in Hell’ they’d let her pursue the career.

However, she persisted, and after putting on a dramatic show for her mom and blowing her away, she agreed to let the then-youngster give it a go.

Jenna, who grew up in Southern California, spent years trying to break into the industry, and would drive six-hours round trip to Los Angeles with her parents four times a week after school, until she finally landed her first role at age 10 – a gust appearance in the CBS show Rob.

The now-20-year-old’s determination to achieve her dreams is certainly impressive, as is her now-long list of acting credits – which includes the CW’s Jane the Virgin, the Disney Channel show Stuck in the Middle, Netflix’s thriller series You, the drama The Fallout, and the slasher flick Scream 5.

Jenna Ortega stole millions of hearts with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s brand new Tim Burton-directed series Wednesday – and the 20-year-old star certainly worked hard to get where she is now

As Jenna (seen left in 2016 and right in 2022) makes waves in the acting world, FEMAIL looked back at her journey – from how she went from a ‘weird’ child who would give anything to become an actress to how she handled her stardom at a young age

But being propelled into the spotlight at such a young age certainly came with its drawbacks for Jenna, who later admitted that she was forced to ‘grow up quickly’ and struggled with the immense ‘pressure’ that comes with being in the public eye.

She has also spoken about how hard it was for her to sacrifice big milestones like prom or graduation during her childhood for her career – but said she is ultimately thankful for everything she’s achieved.

Behind the scenes, Jenna is a self-described ‘weirdo,’ who loves all things ‘disturbing’ or ‘off-putting.’ She’s admitted to being ‘attracted’ to ‘serial killers and ‘monsters,’ and even performing autopsies on dead animals in her free time as a kid.

That’s what drew her to Wednesday – and is likely why she did such a great job portraying the dark, deadpan, and morbidly obsessed with death character, who was originally portrayed by Christina Ricci in the 1991 movie The Addams Family.

As Jenna makes waves in the acting world, FEMAIL has taken a look back at her impressive journey. From how she went from a ‘weird’ child who would give anything to become an actress to one of Hollywood’s biggest new breakout stars to how she handled her sudden stardom at such a young age, here’s everything you need to know about the actress.

Jenna’s rise to fame: She fell in love with acting at the age of six and landed her first role by the time she was 10 – but it meant sacrificing her childhood for her career

Jenna was born on September 27, 2002, in Coachella Valley, California. Her father is of Mexican descent and her mother has Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestry – and her culture is very important to her

Jenna (seen with her mom) explained to Teen Vogue : ‘It’s important to embrace your culture today because there are so many different ethnicities in America. You are you. You’ve got to stay true to yourself, and you can’t change yourself in order to fit in’

Jenna fell in love with acting at the young age of six, so she started ‘begging her mom’ to let her give it a go. But she revealed to Wired recently that her parents told her there was ‘no way in Hell’ they’d let her try it. She is seen as a kid

‘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,’ she previously told PopSugar.

She also explained to 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.’

The actress explained that her mom eventually bought her a monologue book in an attempt to ‘shut her up’ – but it totally backfired.

After reading the book, Jenna said she acted out one of the ‘dramatic’ monologues for her mom, which included her ‘hysterically crying.’ Impressed, her mom video taped the then-youngster and uploaded it to Facebook with the caption, ‘My little drama queen.’

It turns out, one of her mom’s friends from high school knew a casting director, and she ended up showing the clip to him, who asked Jenna to come in and audition.

The actress (seen left with her siblings) explained that her mom eventually bought her a monologue book in an attempt to ‘shut her up’ – but it backfired. After reading the book, Jenna said she acted out one of the ‘dramatic’ monologues for her mom

Impressed, her mom video taped the then-youngster and uploaded it to Facebook with the caption, ‘My little drama queen.’ One of her mom’s friends knew a casting director, and showed him the clip to him. Jenna is seen during her childhood

Her parents finally agreed to let her give it a go – and she soon started appearing in commercials for brands like Colgate (seen), Old Navy, and McDonalds

Her parents finally agreed to let her give it a go – and she soon started appearing in commercials for brands like Colgate, Old Navy, and McDonalds.

She spent two years auditioning before she landed her first official role at the age of 10, when she starred in one episode of the CBS show Rob (seen)

She spent two years auditioning before she landed her first official role at the age of 10, when she starred in one episode of the CBS show Rob.

She also had a guest appearance in CSI: NY, before she earned her film debut in the flick Iron Man 3, in which she placed the Vice President’s daughter.

And it wasn’t easy for her to break out into the industry. She later told The Face, ‘A lot went into it – my parents sacrificed a lot. I sacrificed a lot. It was a group effort.’

‘[My parents] kind of can’t believe [my success]. Not to say that they didn’t believe in me, because obviously they wouldn’t have done six-hour car trips back and forth, four or five times a week, so that I could go to LA and audition, but still,’ she continued.

‘My mom literally said this to me yesterday – she said: “I did not think you were going to be here.” Which is true! That’s what it is.

‘We had no connection to Hollywood, it was a random thing. I’m living off of a six-year-old girl’s decisions. This is something I said I wanted when I was six. Good for her, she knew what she wanted. It’s worked so far.’

She also had a guest appearance in CSI: NY, before she earned her film debut in the flick Iron Man 3 (pictured), in which she placed the Vice President’s daughter

And it wasn’t easy for her to break out into the industry. She later told The Face , ‘A lot went into it – my parents sacrificed a lot. I sacrificed a lot. It was a group effort’

Her other early roles included Insidious: Chapter 2, the Australian series Rake, and the comedy film The Little Rascals Save the Day. She also starred as the younger version of Jane in Jane the Virgin (seen), and Darcy in the Netflix sitcom Richie Rich

As a child, Jenna – who has called herself a ‘weirdo’ and said she loves all things ‘disturbing’ – had a strange hobby. She once revealed to Wired that she liked to perform autopsies on small, dead animals that she found in her backyard

She also previously opened up about getting thrown into the public eye at such a young age to People, admitting that it came with ‘a lot of pressure’ and forced her to ‘grow up quickly.’

‘I’ve dealt with a lot of pressure from social media. I discovered the world of fake people. It’s crazy and it’s kind of a lot,’ she admitted. ‘I feel like I grew up quick, but it’s cool because I understand so much of the film world now.’

She added to The Face: ‘Since I was eight years old, people have been calling me an old woman. When you’re working and spending every day in an environment where you’re surrounded by a bunch of adults and you have to talk with them and work in a professional manner.

‘I think a lot of actors seem a bit older than they are, or communicate in a way that other kids their age would have a complete struggle over.

‘I was just so excited to be on a set, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I wanted people to want to work with me.

‘So you make sure you know the names and you can have the discussions, find out what people are interested in, keep it up. It was kind of exciting for me. It was like a little game.’

She also previously opened up about getting thrown into the public eye at such a young age to People , admitting that it came with ‘a lot of pressure’ and forced her to ‘grow up quickly’

She said: ‘Since I was eight, people have been calling me an old woman. When you’re working and spending every day in an environment where you’re surrounded by a bunch of adults and you have to talk with them and work in a professional manner’

‘I was so excited to be on a set, and I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I wanted people to want to work with me. So you make sure you know the names and you can have the discussions, find out what people are interested in, keep it up,’ she added

The former child star – who was homeschooled for her high school years – also told Teen Vogue that it was hard for her to miss out on normal activities like prom or graduation.

‘I feel for the kids who are missing their prom or missing the opportunity to graduate or can’t have that high school experience they typically would,’ she said during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘I think that’s such an important part of life that I missed out on and wish I had had. I haven’t really lived a normal lifestyle. And not to say that I’m not very fortunate for everything else that I’ve experienced.’

The actress also explained that her loved ones – specifically, her mother and father – have made sure to keep her grounded through it all.

She said to People: ‘I love that I [come] home to the Coachella Valley [after filming] and see my family and friends who have been with me from day one. It’s nice to have them by my side always.

The actress also explained that her loved ones – specifically, her mother and father – have made sure to keep her grounded through it all. She is seen with her family

‘My parents are very supportive,’ Jenna (seen with her mom) said. ‘I think it’s hard for them to see me less and less and less. I’m very, very fortunate. I have the greatest parents. They just want me to be safe and happy’

‘I get home from the set and they do not forget to tell me that there are dishes in the sink waiting for me. They keep my feet on the ground.’

She also discussed her close relationship with her parents to The Face, adding, ‘My parents are very supportive. They get very nervous, especially because I haven’t been home as much and I haven’t gotten to see them as much.

‘I think it’s hard for them to see me less and less and less. I’m a small girl, I travel a lot. They’re more worried about the safety aspect of it all.

‘But they just want me to be good. I’m very, very fortunate. I have the greatest parents. They just want me to be safe and happy.’

Jenna’s breakthrough: She was cast in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle at age 14, which propelled her into the spotlight and earned her a slew of celebrity friends

In 2016, when Jenna was 14 years old, she landed the lead role in Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, which propelled her even further into the spotlight. It went on for three seasons, and followed the Diaz family

Then, in 2019, she joined the cast of the popular Netflix show You for its second season – playing Ellie Alves, the neighbor of murderer Joe Goldberg – alongside Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti

She was also the star of the Netflix horror flick The Babysitter: Killer Queen (left), the animated show Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and the comedy movie Yes Day (right)

In 2016, when Jenna was 14 years old, she landed the lead role in Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, which propelled her even further into the spotlight.

The show went on for three seasons, and followed the Harley Diaz, played by Jenna, who used her creativity and intelligence to make various gadgets to deal with her large family of seven.

She also voiced a character in the Disney series Elena of Avalor and starred in the film Saving Flora.

In 2019, she joined the cast of the popular Netflix show You for its second season – playing Ellie Alves, the neighbor of murderer Joe Goldberg – alongside Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti.

Jenna’s career continued to flourish throughout 2021. She starred in the movie The Fallout, which was about a teen named Vada Cavell, who suffered from depression and PTSD in the aftermath of a school shooting

Throughout 2022, the actress starred in a series of popular horror movies – including the slasher Scream 5 (seen), the thriller comedy Studio 666, the gruesome flick X, and the drama American Carnage – with some dubbing her as a ‘Scream Queen’

Along the way, Jenna made a slew of celebrity friends, including actress and Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler and singer and former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo. She is seen with Olivia in June

She also grew close to her former Jane the Virgin costar Gina Rodriguez. She previously gushed to People about the actress, ‘She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I love her so much. Every time I see her she gives me some life lesson’

‘She was somebody that I instantly clicked with,’ she also told Wired of her friendship with Maddie. ‘I feel like we’re the same person in different fonts.’ The actresses are pictured together in September 2020

She was also the star of the Netflix horror flick The Babysitter: Killer Queen, the animated show Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and the comedy movie Yes Day.

Jenna received positive reviews for her portrayal of Vada, with The Hollywood Reporter calling her performance ‘beautifully nuanced,’ and Decider branding it ‘raw without going overboard.’

Throughout 2022, the actress starred in a series of popular horror movies – including the slasher Scream 5, the thriller comedy Studio 666, the gruesome flick X, and the drama American Carnage – with some dubbing her as a ‘Scream Queen.’

Along the way, Jenna made a slew of celebrity friends, including actress and Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler and singer and former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo.

‘She was somebody that I instantly clicked with,’ she told Wired of her friendship with Maddie. ‘I feel like we’re the same person in different fonts.’

She also grew close to her former Jane the Virgin costar Gina Rodriguez. She previously gushed to People about the actress, ‘I always get to see her on set and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I love her so much. Every time I see her she gives me some life lesson.’

Jenna’s continued success: How taking on the role of Wednesday in Netflix’s new series pushed the star to overcome her nerves and break out of her comfort zone

She then landed the role of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s new show, which premiered on November 23 – and according to the star, she was pretty nervous about taking on the iconic character before hand

‘I’ve never played someone that has been portrayed before, especially so flawlessly,’ she admitted. ‘It’s weird to do something that people have already created expectations and ideas of.’ Christina Ricci is seen as Wednesday left and Jenna is seen right

She was also worried about working with famed director Tim, but she later gushed of the experience to The Face, and calling the experience ‘incredible,’ despite her nerves. She is seen with Tim and Christina

‘I’ve never played someone that has been portrayed before, especially so flawlessly,’ she admitted to Wired. ‘It’s weird to do something that people have already created expectations and ideas of, and still try to do something different that doesn’t stray too far from the character but also puts her in a different world or atmosphere. There’s a lot of pressure.’

She was also worried about working with famed director Tim, but she later gushed of the experience to The Face, and calling the experience ‘incredible,’ despite her nerves.

‘Working with Tim was incredible. I didn’t really know what to expect and every time I’d spoken to him prior… He’s a man of very few words,’ she dished.

‘You speak to him for five minutes about something that might be a really big deal, but he always goes more in-depth with things on set.

‘I remember on the first day, I was really nervous to continue shooting with him because I didn’t know what it would be like.

‘We’d been trying to perfect Wednesday’s braids. We were two hours behind because he kept coming over and saying: “No, that’s wrong. No, this isn’t straight enough.”

‘They were shaving the back of my neck to create the perfect line. They were cutting my hair on the day – there were hair and make-up artists cutting new extensions in the trailer as we were speaking and as we were shooting.

‘He took a hairdresser’s comb and brushed my hair. He was taking apart my fringe one [hair] by one until it sat in the place he wanted it to sit. Then he hair sprayed it so that it wouldn’t move.

‘He was very intense and meticulous.He’s such a visionary – he refused to shoot anything that didn’t satisfy that itch that he had in his brain. It’s very insightful to see. He always did it kindly,’ she gushed

‘He was very intense and meticulous. After we established the look – which was also very exciting to see him do, because he’s such a visionary – he refused to shoot anything that didn’t satisfy that itch that he had in his brain.

‘It’s very insightful to see. He always did it kindly. He knew everyone’s names, [but] he was very quiet and [kept] to himself. He excused himself if he felt he was in the way.

‘I’ve never worked with someone on that level before, but I’ve had people on smaller levels who have been disrespectful to crew, don’t know how to talk to an actor, it doesn’t feel like a collaboration.

‘With Tim, I never had that problem. He’s one of my favorite directors I’ve ever worked with. I feel like I learned so much from him and he was always happy to teach. What a sweetheart of a creature. I’m blown away by him.

‘I don’t know what I anticipated, but after getting to know him, you couldn’t be nervous. He just wanted you to feel as comfortable and prepared to do whatever it was you were doing, which is wonderful.’

Her personal life: When she’s not acting, ‘weirdo’ Jenna loves things that are ‘disturbing,’ is passionate about helping immigrants, and does her best to avoid ‘unhealthy’ social media

Jenna told The Face that she’s naturally drawn to ‘darker’ roles due to her intrigue with ‘serial killers’ and ‘monsters.’ She said: ‘We find each other. There’s some invisible string that’s connected to serial killers, monsters, creatures, and myself’

‘I love things that are a bit off-putting, things when the closer you look, really aren’t that pretty. I love things that are disturbing,’ she added

Jenna told The Face that she’s naturally drawn to ‘darker’ roles due to her intrigue with ‘serial killers’ and ‘monsters.’

‘I think we find each other. There’s some invisible string that’s connected to serial killers, monsters, creatures, and myself. No matter where I go,’ she revealed.

When cameras aren’t rolling, Jenna revealed her sense of humor is very similar to Wednesday’s, and it’s so ‘dark’ it even left Tim surprised. She told Jimmy Kimmel: ‘I didn’t think it was that bad until we were on set. Tim would say, “Oh, that was…dark”‘

‘I feel like it’s something that’s always been attractive to me since I was younger, something I was always into. It’s what feels right to me and it tends to be the scripts I’m into.

‘I love things that are a bit off-putting, things when the closer you look, really aren’t that pretty. 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.

‘I don’t want my characters to be all the same, but if they’re in similar situations it’s always so interesting seeing how this person will take it rather than another.’

When cameras aren’t rolling, Jenna revealed that her sense of humor is very similar to Wednesday’s, and it’s so ‘dark’ it even left Tim surprised.

She once told Jimmy Kimmel during an appearance on his show: ‘I don’t think people can tell when I’m being serious or when I’m being sarcastic.

‘I didn’t think it was that bad until we were on set sometimes, and Tim would say, “Oh, that was…dark.”‘

Jenna seems to lead a pretty normal life when she’s not acting. She told People that her favorite activities include ‘swimming, hanging out with her friends, having sleepovers, and watching movies with her family.’

In 2018, she made headlines when she attended the Radio Disney Music Awards wearing a jacket that had the words ‘I do care and you should too’ written on the back

The piece of clothing was a reference to a similar coat that former First Lady Melania Trump wore when she went to visit immigrant children, which said, ‘I really don’t care. Do you?’ (seen above)

She’s also passionate about supporting immigrants, and has continuously spoken out ’embracing her culture.’

In 2018, she made headlines when she attended the Radio Disney Music Awards wearing a jacket that had the words ‘I do care and you should too’ written on the back.

The piece of clothing was a reference to a similar coat that former First Lady Melania Trump wore when she went to visit immigrant children, which said, ‘I really don’t care. Do you?’

‘At that moment, I knew exactly what my statement was going to be, how I wanted it,’ she recalled to Yahoo of seeing Melania’s jacket. ‘I worked with my stylist. I told him, “I want to get this jacket made with this message on the back.”

‘I’m the kind of person who stands up for what they believe in. In three years I’m going to be able to vote, so I’m super excited for that.

‘I still have so much more to learn, and I know that. I’m kind of picking up things as I go along. But this isn’t a political issue, this is just having kindness in your heart.

‘I really wanted my fans to get that and to understand that, because it’s something that everybody should care about, no matter what side you’re on politically.

‘I’m the kind of person who stands up for what they believe in,’ she said afterwards. ‘I still have so much more to learn, and I know that. I’m kind of picking up things as I go along’

One thing she isn’t a fan of is social media. She explained to Teen Vogue that she ‘tries not to read or pay attention to it as much as possible’ because it’s not ‘healthy’ for her

As for what’s next for Jenna, she is currently set to star in the upcoming Paramount+ thriller Finestkind. She’s also going to act in the sixth Scream movie and the new Lionsgate film Miller’s Girl, opposite Martin Freeman

‘I really want people to know that I did it, not even about being political, just about being kind and respectful towards one another.

‘I think that’s something that our country’s lacking at the moment. I wanted to get my word out there and let people know what I thought. It wasn’t right. It isn’t OK. It’s insensitive.’

One thing she isn’t a fan of is social media. She explained to Teen Vogue that she ‘tries not to read or pay attention to it as much as possible.’

‘I feel people sway a lot. So it’s either they’re all in and they’re all out and I don’t think that it would be healthy for me,’ she added.

As for what’s next for Jenna, she is currently set to star in the upcoming Paramount+ thriller Finestkind alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, and Toby Wallace. She’s also going to act in the sixth Scream movie and the new Lionsgate film Miller’s Girl, opposite Martin Freeman.

And she one day dreams of working behind the camera too. She told People: ‘I hope to be a director one day.’

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