Credit: NetflixJenna Ortega is the current starlet of Hollywood, and as each year passes, the young actress shows how she can command a film as the lead character, a dream she has had since age three. Now, Ortega is opening up about those in her life who did not have her best intentions at heart.
Now, when someone mentions Ortega’s name, many think of the hit Netflix series Wednesday, which is not a shock considering the series has over 250 million views worldwide, topping Netflix’s list as one of the most viewed shows of all times. The series has even been neck in neck with Stranger Things, another Netflix heavy-weight when it comes to success and views.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos even noted that when the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike comes to a close, that both Stranger Things season 5 and Wednesday will be top priorities for the streaming company. Ortega’s fame has jumped to heights she could have never imagined, expecially after being rejected from roles constantly at such a young age.
Ortega recently opened up about auditioning as a child, and stated that she felt constantly “heartbroken” and shed some tears for roles that she lost that she was truly hoping to get. Most recently, she expanded on that during her Harper’s Bazaar interview, stating, “As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get: you’re either the younger version of someone or you’re playing somebody’s daughter – and there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for,” she says.
“So a lot of the jobs that I was going for growing up would never work out, because I didn’t look [a certain] way. That was really hard, to hear that something you couldn’t change was what was preventing you [from succeeding].”
Now, of course, we know Ortega to be a powerhouse in Hollywood. With over 60 millions followers on social media, Ortega is a common name in the industry at this point.
In addition to her role as a leading character on Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, this Latina actress transitioned into the horror genre in 2013, and has remained a prominent figure ever since. She took on roles such as Annie in Insidious: Chapter 2, Phoebe in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Tara Carpenter in Scream 5 and Scream 6, Sky Willow in Studio 666, Loraine in X, Wednesday Addams in Wednesday, and is set to star as Lydia Deetz’s Daughter in Beetlejuice 2.
Most recently, we shared that Jenna would be starring alongside Marvel superhero Paul Rudd in a new horror comedy called Death of a Unicorn. Horror film experts A24 is producing this new film, and while it has had some questionable opinions from other publications, filming has yet to commence, leaving those claims baseless.
The film will be bringing in John Carpenter for the musical score. For those who know Carpenter, know that he is a master when it comes to spooky-filled music for films, having been the one to create the iconic Halloween theme song.
During the Harper’s Bazaar interview, Ortega continued to share more information on her budding career, as well as the other trials and tribulations she has had to face at such a young age.
Ortega noted that she felt a lack of control over herself, “My career really has been in the hands of so many other people, I’ve worked and operated with individuals who maybe didn’t always have my best interests…” It seems that Ortega has always been controlled instead of being in control. Having started her career at age 9, it is important to have those with your best interest supporting you. It appears that is not what Ortega had, to a certain extent.
She continued, “As a kid, I was always being told what I should and shouldn’t do – which way I should go, what would be best for me. But in the end, I’m the only one who’s ever going to know that. I want to be able to really orchestrate my own future and make more specific, precise moves.”
The idea of perfection has plagued the actress since childhood. She said, “I’ve even begged a little bit to be allowed to make a mistake. Because how can I learn if I don’t do that for myself? I can’t be scared of the fact that I might fall on my face. But it’s hard to do that when so many people are watching.”
It seems that Ortega has had a tough time toying the line between living a normal life and being in the spotlight 24/7. When Ortega was offered Wednesday, she even turned it down in an attempt to work on more feature-length films so that her career could grow, and with that, her fame. She took the role in the end due to Tim Burton’s attachment; however, we can see that Jenna is at a crossroads where she wants the freedom of making mistakes without the world watching while finding ways to be as successful in her career at the same time — both of these desires juxtapose one another making it difficult to find a balance.
She continued, “This past year; there have never been more opinions or rumors or thoughts shared about things that I’ve [apparently] said,” she tells me, explaining that statements have been attributed to her “that I’ve never said in my entire life, on topics that I have no involvement in. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I don’t want people to take everything that they see at face value and fully believe it’s the truth.”
This only further points at the level of success that Ortega is facing. Many media outlets will often write fake news, or unconfirmed news as it comes, this has been ongoing for decades, and now, with the rise of social media, it is easy to for actors to see their name attached to an incorrect statement and there is not much that they can do about it.
Do you think that Jenna Ortega has peaked at her career? Or will she continue to overtake Hollywood?