Biography: Jenna Ortega

 Jenna Ortega was born to a family of both Mexican and Puerto Rican descent In September of 2002. Having become interested in acting at the age of six she, with the help of her mother and agents was able to make her acting debut in a 2012 episode “Baby Bug” on “Rob”. Following this was an appearance on “CSI: NY” in the episode “Unspoken” as Aimee Moore. Soon to follow was her film debut in “Iron Man 3” as the Vice President's Daughter. She made her Horror debut in “Insidious: Chapter 2” as Annie.

In 2014 on the series “Rake” she was cast as Zoe Leon. Then from 2014 to 2019 she played the younger version of Jane in the series “Jane the Virgin”. Then, in 2014 she starred as Mary Ann in the film “The LittleRascals Save the Day.” Then in 2015, she was cast as Darcy in the Netflix series “Richie Rich”. Also, in the same year she played as Anne Chapa in the film After Words

From 2016 to 2018 she starred in Disney Channel sitcom “Stuck in the Middle” as Harley Diaz. Her performance in that role won her an Imagen Award as well as having her being nominated for two others. The same year she joined the cast of Disney’s “Elena of Avalor”. The show was well received and she shared another Imagen Award with the cast as well as another nomination in 2019. In 2017 she starred in Jacob Sartorius “Chapstick” as Sartorius’ love interest which gained significant media coverage.

In 2018 she starred in the film “Saving Flora” as Dawn, a film that received positive reviews from critics, praising Ortega for her performance. At the Southampton International Film Festival she received a nomination for Best Lead Actress for her role. In the Netflix thriller “You”  she played Ellie Alves, a character both smart and meddling who likes to act older than she actually is. Commenting on her role with co-stars Penn Badgley and Victoria Pedretti she said: "I wish I had gotten to shoot with Victoria more, because I think she's really talented. ... Penn is such an eloquent speaker, so well-thought and so respectful and so kind, and just such a pleasure to work with." In 2019 she played Phoebe in Netflix's horror film “The Babysitter: Killer Queen”  In an interview with Cosmopolitan she said that she was "incredibly nervous" when they began filming, saying that "because it was a sequel, all of the other cast members already knew each other ... I went on the set panicking because I didn't know what I was doing.” The film, being released in September of 2020, received mixed reviews.

In 2020 Ortega voiced Brooklyn in Netflix's “Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous” the series receiving mixed reviews, although Ortega was praised for her performance. Then in 2020 she announced that she would be having her writing debut with the book “It’s All Love” which was released in March of 2021.

“The Fallout” a high school drama film which was released in March of 2021, had Ortega as the lead role of Vada. It received positive reviews from critics. Her performance being praised with several critics calling it her “breakout” film role.  The Holllywood Reporter wrote: “...Ortega's beautifully nuanced turn understands the nothing-to-look-at-here façade and the chinks in the armor." Decider similarly wrote praising her performance as "raw without going overboard. What could have been cliches along Vada's character path become earnest and real thanks to her commitment to the performance and a thorough understanding of its emotional beats." Variety magazine described Vada as her breakthrough role, writing that "Ortega in particular seems to have found her voice."

In the 2020 film “Scream” Ortega was cast as Tara Carpenter. In that role she stated "I don't even think there are words in the English language to correctly express how happy, excited and nervous I am for this journey." She stated  that working with co-stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette "You never know what to expect when you're meeting people of that standard, but they truly were just the most down-to-earth, sweetest people.”

Ortega starred in “Studio 666” a film led by the “Foo Fighters” which was released in February 2022 and the horror film “X” which was later released in March. “X” earned critical praise, with Screen Rant writing: "Ortega, alongside her role-swapping co-star Mia Goth, is in rare form here, with the pair's performances as two horrified wannabe pornstars turned survivalists as shocking as they are compelling.”

Ortega’s performance in “Wednesday” a Netflix original comedy/horror series earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress- Television Series Musical or Comedy. Calling this role a “new chapter” in her career. She went on to say that she underwent "the most physical transformation I've ever done; I cut my hair, and it's black, and mannerism-wise, speaking cadence-wise, expression-wise" Then calling the production of Season One of “Wednesday” "the most overwhelming job" she ever had. Mentioning the constant state of confusion and stress over the direction of the series and character. Her performance, however, was widely praised. Ortega will star next in Paramount+ film “Finestkind” alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, and Toby Wallace and will return in the role of Rara Carpenter in “ScreamVI”

Ortega has used her platforms to support issues such as immigration and the politics involving them. Having also  been a huge supporter of “Pride over Prejudice” a pro LGBT campaign that promotes acceptance over hate. An organization she has backed since the age of 13. Also being pro-immigration and anti-discrimination, she said in an interview from Teen Vogue: "It's important to embrace your culture today because there are so many different ethnicities in America. At the end of the day, you are you. You've got to stay true to yourself, and you can't change yourself in order to fit in or to make someone else feel comfortable.”

In 2016 she organized a meet and greet for fans to help raise money for a young girl with cancer. At the Radio Disney Music Awards, Ortega wore a jacket with the words "I Do Care And U Should Too" in response to first lady Melania Trump. In 2020 Ortega was named brand ambassador for Neutrogena. On this, Ortega told “jHola!” "I could not be more ecstatic. I say it over and over, but it really is such a surreal feeling, especially with such an iconic brand, that I have looked up to for such a long time." The following year she announced on Instagram that she was partnering up with Neutrogena for their “For People with Skin” campaign. A campaign that advocates skin health to customers of all races, ages, ethnicity, skin needs or income.

In 2022, Ortega revealed that she almost quit acting to be a soccer player. Saying that she played in all attacking positions and in come cases as a midfielder. As a girl she took part in the American Youth Soccer Organization, a youth soccer program.

Her influences in acting started with the performance of actress Dakoto Fanning in 2004s film “Man of Fire” saying that "After watching Dakota, who obviously was so talented from such a young age, I decided that I wanted to be the Puerto Rican version of her." She also went on to say that Denzel Washington was "the coolest man I had ever seen in my life." She also cites actress Gina Rodriguez, who she worked with in “Jane the Virgin” as one of her major influences.

The Hollywood Reporter, in 2022 dubbed her the “Next Big Thing” and in 2020 PopSugar’s “20 under 20” listed her as number one.  Following her role in the Horror genre 2022 she was crowned a scream queen and “Inverse” observed that she expanded the titles definition, having been both the “red herring and the Final Girl, even within the same movie”.

Jenna Ortega has a huge career ahead of her and I know that all of us can’t wait to see how she grows and where she goes. Our adventure with her is just beginning.