It’s 2026, and you can’t enter a bookstore, visit a fashion boutique or turn on a streaming platform without seeing Jenna Ortega. She’s everywhere. Our social media. Our TVs. Our malls. Thanks to Netflix’s Wednesday, the world has gone Jenna Ortega crazy. But it wasn’t always so.
Born on September 27, 2002, the young star grew up in Coachella Valley, California, in a large Mexican-Puerto Rican home, where she was the middle child. And as we all know, middle kids get away with more (something she once stated in an interview). But Ortega also faced her share of bullies over the years. Even though she was landing commercials and small TV roles by age 6, life wasn’t a breeze.
Language played a huge role, too. Her mom made sure Spanish stayed alive in the house, but her dad couldn’t speak it fluently. Ortega embraced that dual identity early on and has often spoken about pride in her roots and how that drives her choices. And yes, you can definitely see it in the projects and roles she takes on and the lines she refuses to cross.
Jenna Ortega started acting at six and learned rejection early
Jenna Ortega didn’t wake up famous. Nobody does. It takes hard work. And while she started off really young, her first big TV appearance came in 2012 on Rob, where she learned practical lessons like how to kick someone on camera without hurting them.
But just like everyone else who has climbed up the ladder of success, auditions came with more no’s than yeses. “Most of them didn’t bother me, but a few of the no’s really messed me up and ruined my self-esteem,” Ortega later admitted. Thankfully, her family became her anchor, with her mom helping her navigate agents, teams, and closed doors.
In fact, it took years and countless auditions before she caught a break.
Jane the Virgin changed her life and taught her more about acting
Jenna Ortega’s big career shift happened in 2014 when she landed the role of young Jane in Jane the Virgin. It was her biggest role to date, and she managed to stay on the show for four years, working closely with Gina Rodriguez and watching how professionals handled sets and shoots. “I think I know the character pretty well because I’ve been portraying her for four years now,” she said at the time.
That experience taught Ortega how to build a character and gave her many of the skills she uses in her acting performances today.
Disney Channel fame gave her visibility and pressure
Since she was a kid, Ortega dreamed of joining the Disney Channel. That dream finally came true in 2016 when she landed the role of Harley Diaz on Stuck in the Middle. The show ran for three seasons and opened plenty of doors for the young star. She co-hosted the Radio Disney Music Awards. She got her own Radio Disney show. She voiced Princess Isabel on Elena of Avalor, becoming the second Latina Disney princess. “Now little Hispanic princesses can see themselves on TV,” she once said.
But Disney came with limits, too. Ortega had her sights set on much more.
Then Netflix projects helped Jenna Ortega break the child star mold
By 2020, Ortega found Netflix (or rather Netflix found Jenna Ortega). She voiced Brooklynn on Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and starred opposite Jennifer Garner in Yes Day. Then came The Babysitter Killer Queen. That film pushed her closer to horror, a genre she once feared. She admitted she didn’t even watch some of her early scary movies until she was 15. That’s kinda ironic considering how she’s considered a scream queen today.
Jenna Ortega leaned into horror roles
While Ortega had appeared briefly in Insidious Chapter 2, she didn’t quite click with the genre right away. They weren’t really her thing. In fact, she recalled that her fear of Chucky once sent her hiding in a closet. Years later, she laughed about it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Then she leaned into the genre. She joined You as Ellie Alves, sharing scenes with Penn Badgley, who challenged her. And then fear stopped running the show, and she started using it. She landed roles in plenty of horror films since: Scream, X, and Studio 666. Horror fans loved her, and she became the face of the genre. Heck, even Wednesday leans into that.
Dramatic roles forced her to pull from real-life trauma
In 2022, Ortega starred in The Fallout, playing a student navigating life after a school shooting. The role hit close to home. Ortega once experienced a real gun-related lockdown at school. “It’s intense when something suddenly turns real like that,” she said. That experience shaped her performance.
Director Megan Park wanted someone the character’s age. Ortega was 17 when they. And Park knew instantly she was the right person for the role.
The Scream franchise made Jenna Ortega a star
That same year, Ortega joined Scream and later Scream VI, starring alongside Melissa Barrera. She studied her character’s clothes, humor, and habits. “I actually had to create a personality for her,” she explained.
She later exited Scream VII (and probably the franchise) due to scheduling conflicts (although many believe it was in support of her co-star). Instead, she took risks elsewhere, appearing in Studio 666 with Foo Fighters and Ti West’s X.
Wednesday Addams turned Jenna Ortega into a cultural fixation overnight
Wednesday. Tim Burton. Christina Ricci. Netflix. The world was ready, but nobody would expect how big the role would make Jenna Ortega. She became a global obsession. Season two named her executive producer. She became a key part in making the character come alive and connect with audiences.
Fashion, activism, and producing show where she’s heading next
Over the years, Ortega’s fashion style evolved alongside her many roles. The Disney colors slowly faded and black pretty much took over her look. She wore a Versace gown at Wednesday’s premiere and made it special. She played with androgyny, vintage silhouettes, and deconstructed tailoring.
But she’s been busy off the red carpet too. She published It’s All Love: Reflections for Your Heart & Soul in 2021. She executive-produced Winter Spring Summer or Fall and starred in more hit films like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But she also had some major flops recently. Like Hurry Up Tomorrow and Death of a Unicorn.
Twelve years after Jane the Virgin, Jenna Ortega looks different because she is different. She’s not a kid anymore. She’s older and more in control of her career, her style and her beliefs.
RELATED: Lacey Chabert Looks Beautiful 31 Years After Party of Five Made Her a Star
