2002-present
Who Is Jenna Ortega?
Actor Jenna Ortega plays the lead role in the hit Netflix show Wednesday. Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, has been acting since she was 9 years old. She successfully transitioned beyond her early Disney Channel stardom with roles in several horror films, such as X and Studio 666. In this decade’s reboot of the Scream franchise, the bonafide scream queen plays Tara Carpenter. Her performance as Wednesday Addams earned her a 2023 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Jenna Marie Ortega
BORN: September 27, 2002
BIRTHPLACE: La Quinta, California
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra
Early Life
Born on September 27, 2002, in La Quinta, California, Jenna Marie Ortega has been acting since she was 9 years old when she landed her very first gig starring in a Colgate toothpaste commercial. Her parents, Edward and Natalie, supported Ortega’s dream of becoming an actor, though they “have no interest whatsoever in [Hollywood] or in the film industry,” Ortega said in an Elle interview.
Still, Ortega is grateful for the support she receives from her family saying, “they sacrificed a lot for me to do what I do.” Before she became famous, Ortega’s mom would drive her from their family home in California’s Coachella Valley to Los Angeles for auditions, a trip that would take hours of driving each way.
Natalie is an emergency room nurse, and Edward works in the California district attorney’s office. Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, is one of six siblings.
Movies and TV Shows: 'Wednesday,' 'You,' 'Iron Man 3,' and More
After a brief appearance in Iron Man 3, Ortega hit her stride with several large roles including a recurring one in The CW television show Jane the Virgin, the Netflix series You, the main character in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle, and the most recent entries in the Scream film franchise as Tara Carpenter. Her onscreen success wasn’t always the case, however, and Ortega has been vocal about having a hard time landing roles at times because she felt that casting directors didn’t think she had “the look they were going for.” Still, Ortega’s dedication to acting paid off as she began landing bigger and bigger roles in the mainstream media.
Ortega’s largest role to date is as the lead in Netflix’s Wednesday, in which she portrays the iconic Wednesday Addams in a modern, live-action take on the beloved The Addams Family series. Ortega’s portrayal of the titular character earned her Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations as well as an award for Best Performance in a Show at the 2023 MTV Movie and TV Awards. Other Hollywood heavyweights appeared alongside Ortega in Wednesday including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Ortega’s beloved offscreen friend Gwendoline Christie. In the show, Christie plays Principal Weems and towers over the 5-foot-1-inch-tall Ortega with her 6-foot-3 stature.
The former Disney child actor has also become somewhat of a scream queen, having landed several roles in slasher films including X, Insidious: Chapter 2, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen. Ortega has also joined the long-running Scream franchise as a cast member in the reboot films.
Read more about Ortega’s major roles, including her upcoming appearance in Beetlejuice 2:
Net Worth
Ortega’s net worth is reportedly in the neighborhood of $5 million. However, it’s unclear what Ortega gets paid for certain roles, including her salary for Wednesday.
Personal Life
Ortega is notoriously private about several aspects of her life, including who she dates. Opening up about her dating life in a March 2023 Armchair Expert podcast interview with Dax Shepard, Ortega said she’s not especially interested in dating at the moment because of how demanding her work schedule is and because of the vulnerability a relationship requires.
Ortega also told Elle that the idea of dating stresses her out and that at least for the moment, “I don’t need to think about that right now.” Still, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning. There’s been speculation that Ortega might have been romantically involved with actor Pete Davidson, but there’s no evidence to substantiate this claim.
She currently lives in Los Angeles.
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