Jenna Ortega is a world-renowned actress who has starred in many TV shows and movies. Jenna Ortega was born on September 27, 2002. Since childhood, Jenna Ortega was actively involved in various TV shows alongside her family; however, later, she started acting as an adult. The most well-known films that Jenna Ortega starred in include Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle, You, The Fallout, Scream, X, and Wednesday.
In general, throughout her acting career, Jenna Ortega has starred in many movies; however, her appearance in the film Wednesday Addams made her become a great actress and marked a turning point in her life. As a result, Jenna Ortega has become a world-renowned and one of the most promising actresses.
Professional acting career of Jenna Ortega started approximately the age of 9 years. The film Jane the Virgin is a well-known TV show in which Jenna Ortega acted as Jane Villanueva while she was a child from 2014 to 2019. In this TV show, Jenna Ortega starred in about 30 episodes and gained significant acting experience along with many talented actors. Additionally, in 2013, Jenna Ortega took part in two films, Iron Man 3 and Insidious: Chapter 2.
Nevertheless, the climax of her career is associated with 2022, when Jenna Ortega played the role of an actor in the TV series Wednesday on Netflix. Regarding this TV series, Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday Addams – a highly talented but emotionless girl who studies at Nevermore Academy, a special school for gifted children.
Being eight episodes long and including such genres as mystery, dark comedy, supernatural, and coming-of-age, Jenna Ortega’s performance made this TV series popular, and she was nominated for the Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The success and popularity of Jenna Ortega can be partially attributed to her ability to play various characters. It is clear that, unlike the majority of other actors, Jenna Ortega does not limit herself to one genre only, starring in various TV series ranging from family and teen drama through psychological thriller up to slasher horror and supernatural comedy genres. Moreover, it should be said that the career of Jenna Ortega has developed quickly, as the actress received leading roles within just 10 years.
Therefore, the highest significance of the role of Jenna Ortega must be ascribed to the role of Wednesday Addams in the TV series Wednesday (2022), or, in other words, to the Netflix series in which it is demonstrated that Wednesday Addams studies at Nevermore Academy and seeks to discover her superpowers during supernatural events at the school. One may state that the acting style of Jenna Ortega is laconic since Wednesday expresses her ideas through facial expressions, gestures, and puns instead of hysteria.
It was published in 2022 and rapidly gained great popularity, which made Jenna Ortega a global star. The first aspect of this movie is that Jenna Ortega had a chance to play the main character of the movie rather than one of the group characters. The portrayal of Wednesday Addams was one of the most defining ones and allowed her to become a lead actress after being a supporting one.
Another recent work performed by Jenna Ortega is the 2022 movie Scream, in which she acts as Tara Carpenter, the next target for Ghostface. This is another remake of the franchise, involving a new generation of characters that have something to do with the legacy of the former generation. The character of Ortega dies within the first five minutes of the movie.
In order to play the role of Wednesday Addams in the film Wednesday, Ortega had to take another approach because her character faced some problems, and everything was getting worse. In 2022, while Jenna Ortega was performing the role of Wednesday, she made an important step in the field of horror acting; moreover, in 2023, Jenna Ortega performed in the film Scream VI.
X is the name of a horror film, which was released in 202, and was created by Ti West. The story in X takes place against the backdrop of filmmakers working on an adult movie in a secluded place in Texas. In this movie, Ortega acts as Lorraine Day, who is one of the filmmakers participating in the making of the movie. In contrast to Wednesday, this film combines psychological and slasher horror and has a story based on the elements of seclusion, an old couple, and increasing tension.
Hence, it became evident that Jenna Ortega became a big star of modern horror movies thanks to this movie. In 2022, there were three movies – X, Scream, and Wednesday – and thus the year 2022 was very important for Ortega as a horror actress. Furthermore, the movie X received good reviews, since its score on Rotten Tomatoes is 94%.
Ortega acted in the TV series You prior to the Wednesday one. She plays Ellie Alves, a girl who lives in the same apartment as Joe Goldberg. This character is curious and confident, but she falls under the influence of Joe’s evil actions and finds herself in conflict with herself as an average teenager and the surrounding world.
This role was important for Ortega early in her career since she began to take part in films that were not children’s or family entertainment. This was also her opportunity to show that she could play the role of a teenager who had to face difficult situations with her own personality.
The Fallout takes Ortega in a new direction entirely. The film, released in 2021, lasts for 92 minutes and features a story about a girl named Vada Cavall, a teenage girl at the high school who suffers from the aftermath of the shooting that took place at her school. The film does not feature the shooting process, but its aftermath.
This character is highly appreciated by critics, which indicates the skill of the actress in playing in a complex dramatic film. It is even more notable that this film was released before the success of Wednesday, providing an opportunity for the audience to see Ortega’s talent, which surpasses both the horror and thriller films.
From the aforementioned movies, we can say that the filmography of Jenna Ortega does not have any specific genre or character.
| Title | Year | Jenna Ortega’s Role | Main Genre |
| You | 2019 | Ellie Alves | Thriller |
| The Fallout | 2021 | Vada Cavell | Drama |
| Scream | 2022 | Tara Carpenter | Horror |
| X | 2022 | Lorraine Day | Horror |
| Wednesday | 2022 | Wednesday Addams | Mystery / Horror Comedy |
The timeline also reflects how fast her career developed. You brought her to the attention of a more adult audience on TV; The Fallout showcased her dramatic range, and Scream and X helped her connect with the genre of horror. And at the very end of the same year, Wednesday put her into the heart of a Netflix series worldwide.
Such diversity in her roles is one of the reasons why her filmography is worth analyzing, not only through the role of one well-known character. Every film represents an example of a distinct style of acting.
The acting career of Jenna Ortega started out as a series of TV shows and then became a wide array of roles in both films and TV series. She started working professionally at a young age and gained fame through Jane the Virgin and Stuck in the Middle before going on to adult drama and horror.
Among Jenna Ortega’s many accomplishments, some examples include Wednesday, Scream, X, You, and The Fallout, all of which provide some information about the way the actress has grown in her acting career. The aforementioned five movies are examples of Ortega’s experience in thriller, drama, slasher horror, supernatural mystery, and dark comedy. Those who have only recently gotten to know Jenna Ortega can use these movies as a starting point.