20+ Facts About Jenna Ortega Who Played Wednesday and Invented the Dance Everyone Is Crazy About (2024)

Jenna Ortega has been acting since the age of6, but she rose tofame when she turned 20thanks tothe role ofWednesday from the Addams family. She made upthe dance for the ball scene herself, which got alot offans and became viral. Jenna isbeing called aHollywood rising star with agreat future.

• Jenna Ortega was born into afamily with 6children onSeptember27, 2002. She’s ofMexican and Puerto Rican ancestry.
• She’s been playing inmovies since ayoung age, due towhich she missed her high school prom and graduation. And she regrets that.
• Jenna decided tobecome anactress after watching the 2004 movie Man onFire because she was impressed byDakota Fanning’s acting. “Itold mymom thatI wanted tobethe Puerto Rican version ofDakota Fanning,” she recalls.

Jenna and her family

• Jenna’s mother once posted avideo ofher daughter online with the caption, “Mylittle drama queen.” Acasting director spotted this video and invited Jenna for anaudition. Sometime later, the young actress began tofilm commercials.
• Jenna’s debut movie was Iron Man3, where she played the president’s daughter. “They cut myentire scene pretty much,” she says. “But there are 2seconds where the screen isonmeand mymom and myfriends screamed inthe theater.”
• Ayear later, in2014, Jenna played the main character atayoung age inthe series Jane the Virgin.
  

Inthe movie The Massively Mixed-Up Middle School Mystery and series Jane the Virgin

• In2016, Jenna landed alead role intheTV show Stuck inthe Middle where she played aprodigy girl with alot ofsiblings. Before she became anactress, her family often watched the Disney Channel onTV, and Jenna once said that ifher mom let her act, she would also appear onDisney Channel. Her mom replied, “Ohyes, we’ll see about that.” But itreally happened.
• Inone ofthe Stuck inthe Middle episodes, the actress said afew prophetic words. Inthe series, Harley, who isthe middle child of7, tried toarrange acamping trip for her family. But when she found out that her siblings were busy onthat day, she said, “This iswhat happens when there are 7kids, and you’re stuck inthe middle. Ifmyfamily were aweek, Iwould beWednesday.”

Inthe series Stuck inthe Middle

• The actress lent her voice toafew animated characters too. She played inOver the Garden Wall, Big City Greens, and Elena ofAvalor.
• Jenna played Ellie inseason 2ofthe popular series You. Itwas the first serious role ofher career, and this made her really nervous, “Ithought that every dayI went tothe set, Iwas going tobefired for somethingI did wrong.”
• In2021, the movie Yes Day was released, where Jenna played the older daughter ofJennifer Garner’s character.
• Fans ofhorror movies consider Jenna ascream queen because she’s played inafew movies ofthis genre: X, Scream5, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen.
  

Inthe movies Yes Day and Scream5

• When the actress auditioned for the role inthe series Wednesday via video conference, she appeared wearing stage blood and glycerin sweat inher hair and amassive cut onher face because she was filmingX inNew Zealand and had been upfor 24hours. “Igot onZoom and Tim Burton actually laughed. Itmade melaugh. Ithought itwas endearing,” the actress recalled.
• Jenna Ortega was terrified when she learned that she would beplaying alongside Christina Ricci, who portrayed Wednesday inthe 1991 and 1993 renditions ofThe Addams Family. “She’s areally cool lady. Iwas fine meeting her, but her performance was flawlessly done, which isanother reason itwas hard for metodothis job,” Jenna shared.

Jenna with her co-stars Gwendoline Christie and Emma Myers onthe set ofWednesday

• Jenna isabig fan ofthe series Stranger Things whose viewing record has been recently broken byWednesday. “Ifollow everyone’s theories about the show, andI cannot get enough ofit,” the actress says.
• Jenna used tobeavegan, but while filming the series Wednesday, which took place inRomania, she began toeat fish tobalance her diet inaforeign country.
• Following Tim Burton’s recommendation, Jenna rarely blinked while playing Wednesday. According tothe actress, this wasn’t easy, “Iwould have torestart atake ifI started blinking. Itwas Romanian winter, and there was all this wind inmyface. Ilearned toblink onother people’s lines.”

Inthe series Wednesday and onthe red carpet

• Jenna revealed that she loves reading. Inaninterview, the actress said that she had read the novel The Master and Margarita byMikhail Bulgakov because itwas mentioned inthe series You which she had apartin.
• Inorder toplay the cello for Wednesday, she started working onthe cello about 2months before they started shooting.
• The actress has afew movie award nominations, including aGolden Globe for her performance inWednesday.

Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP / East News, Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP / East News

Jenna in2018 and 2022

• Jenna doesn’t speak about her personal life and doesn’t care about rumors much, “According tothe Internet, Idated like 6guys, but I’ve dated none ofthem.”
• In2017, she appeared inthe music video Chapstick for her friend, musician Jacob Sartorius.
• In2020, the 18-year-old actress had her first book published. Itwas acollection ofshort stories titled, It’s All Love: Reflections For Your Heart &Soul.
• InDecember 2022, itbecame known that Jenna and Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe inWednesday, will reunite inthe romantic comedy Winter Spring Summer orFall, where Ortega will also serve asanexecutive producer.

Jenna and Percy Hynes White inthe series Wednesday

• Jenna wants tobecome afilm director inthe future, but she’s currently focused onher acting career.
• Afew new movies starring Ortega are planned tobereleased, including the horror movie Scream6, the thriller Finestkind, and comedy-drama Miller’s Girl.

Have you watched Wednesday? Did you likeit?

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