Jenna Ortega has no shortage of acting and personal accolades (not to mention, over 40 million followers on Instagram). Most recently, the “You” season two star has (begrudgingly) won hearts as the queen of deadpan, Wednesday Addams, in Netflix’s Addams Family revival, “Wednesday.”
But Ortega was a major actor long before her new Netflix role. She earned her first acting credit at 9 years old in the television show “Rob.” And then, in 2014, she won fans worldwide with her portrayal of young Jane on “Jane the Virgin.” In 2016, she was cast as Harley Diaz, the main character in the hit Disney Channel series “Stuck in the Middle.” Clearly, Mickey Mouse is a fan because Ortega also went on to voice Princess Isabel in the animated TV series “Elena of Avalor.”
She won critical acclaim for her turn as a teen grappling with surviving a school shooting in “The Fallout,” and has joined the Scream franchise, appearing first in the fifth installment and in the new sixth movie, out this week.
Since we’ve been charmed by Ortega for a while now, we set out to uncover some more interesting factoids about her, and it turns out, the soon-to-be “Saturday Night Live” host is even more amazing than we thought.
Related: Jenna Ortega’s Résumé Has Everything From Disney to Horror Flicks
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She's Part of Disney's First Latina Princess's Story
Ortega has made major inroads for the Latina community, and her animated Disney project was a huge step in the right direction. When she voiced the role of Isabel in the Disney Channel animated series “Elena of Avalor” (about Elena, Disney’s first Latina princess), she became part of a huge moment in Disney history.
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She's the Great Grandaughter of a Mexican Immigrant
Ortega’s great-grandmother came to the US from a small ranch near Sinaloa, Mexico, she previously revealed in an essay for POPSUGAR. She moved to the country as an undocumented immigrant with her four daughters, and she enrolled them in English-speaking schools so they could help her improve her English as well.
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She Struggles to Prioritize Me-Time
While chatting with HypeBae in March 2023, Ortega said she hopes to “dedicate more time for myself” this year.
“It’s very easy for me to cling onto something and become obsessed with it, and I feel like that’s been me with my work for the last couple of years,” said Ortega. “When things get crazy, I need to learn to like reset and take time for myself before I jump into another project. Just do more things that I want to do that I’ve been putting off for a while and take more time for me.”
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She Began Acting When She Was 9
A casting agent discovered Ortega on Facebook when she was only 9 years old, according to Forbes, and the rest is history. For Ortega to find success, she told Elle in 2023, “My family made a lot of sacrifices.”
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She Obsesses Over Stranger Things (Just Like Us)
In an interview with Talk Nerdy With Us in 2016, Ortega said she nerds out over “Stranger Things.” “I follow everyone’s theories about the show, and I cannot get enough of it,” she said.
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She Isn't Currently Dating
Ortega told Elle in her March 2023 interview that “the idea of relationships stresses me out.”
“And also being that vulnerable with someone and having to get to know someone that well and having someone see you for all that you are…” she shared candidly. “My brain knows that I don’t need to think about that right now.”
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