Credit: NetflixJenna Ortega has shared her biggest regrets that have come along with her Hollywood stardom, and it seems that it is a problem she still can’t fully shake.
Jenna, the killer queen, has been one of the most influential women to step into the acting scene over the past few years, providing younger generations with a strong role model that they can still easily relate to. Ortega’s influence has even been credited to her project’s success, as we saw with the virality that Netflix’s Wednesday, The Addams Family spin-off TV show, was able to obtain on social media, thanks to Jenna’s iconic dance in the show’s fourth episode. Wednesday would then expand its audience in days, shaping up the first season of the show to be the most-watched English-speaking series on Netflix in a single season. It even beat Stranger Things 4, the most-watched season of the series.
In a recent Vanity Fair article, Ortega was talking all things Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2, so basically, all of her Tim Burton projects, when she was asked if there was anything she would have done differently when it comes to her career.
Jenna replied, “I’m very much a people pleaser. I like to say that I’m not anymore—but I am. I wish that I felt that I was a bit more in control of my experiences. When I was younger, I was just so happy to be a part of the conversation that I wasn’t really playing it in a strategic way. Not that it has to be. I wish that maybe I had felt more autonomy in who I was from a younger age. I think I’ve definitely fallen into patterns of taking myself too seriously or not being able to create much balance in my life.”
In this, the Wednesday Addams actress did admit that she still considered herself a people pleaser, which is something that left her feeling a lack of control when she was younger. Today, Ortega still feels that she is a people pleaser (which is very normal and how 49% of the population feels, according to a scientific study), but she is also making moves to control her destiny. At 21, Ortega is now a producer on the second season of Wednesday, having a say on the overall shape of the show, which is a stark contrast to just saying “yes” to stay on set.
The actress also highlighted balance, and how she has been able to find more of it. Considering Jenna is a self-proclaimed perfectionist, it is not shocking to learn she spent her childhood thinking about work, and not the typical kid-related thoughts that one would assume a 10-year-old to have.
“When I was younger, I wasn’t thinking about sleepovers and friends and proms,” Jenna said.
“It was always, “What am I going to do next? How am I going to get this job? What meeting should I take?” It was work and school and sleep and repeat. So it’s been funny as I’ve gotten older to realize, “Huh, yeah, you do need your hands in other bowls and you do need to take a step and a breather.” I’m glad that I realize that now, but it’s strange to have not really had that experience or been eager for that experience when I was younger.”
During the interview, Jenna also spoke out on not letting Hollywood control her, or get the best of her. The conversation of remaining connected to reality came up, and Ortega replied, “Everything that’s happened—it almost feels like another person that people are talking about. I don’t feel attached to my name at all, or people’s perception of my name.”
She then admitted that it has been hard for her to talk about her fame, “I just feel very detached from the whole thing, which maybe helps as well. But at the same time, it’s kind of scary. I don’t know how people do it. I feel like there’s probably some handbook out there that just was never handed to me.”
Having embarked on her acting journey at the age of six, Ortega initially appeared in films such as Iron Man 3 and Insidious: Chapter 2, showcasing her talent at a young age. She then transitioned to television, landing a recurring role as a young Jane in Jane The Virgin. Ortega gained prominence with a starring role in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle (where she attended a “Disney Prom”). Her diverse acting repertoire includes the 2021 Scream revival, X, The Fallout, where she appeared alongside Maddie Ziegler, and portraying Joe’s younger sister in You.
At the moment, we can see Jenna in Miller’s Girl, a movie with Martin Freeman that has been getting a lot of chatter due to the sexual nature and age gap between the co-stars, and Ortega’s now infamous kiss with another female in the movie. She stars in Beetlejuice 2 which comes out this September, and as of April, will be in Ireland filming the second season of Wednesday, which she promises to be darker, and even higher in quality, with every episode as memorable as the last.
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