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We wouldn’t dare picture anyone else as Wednesday other than Jenna Ortega. However, did you know the rising star once faced a professional setback, which haunted her enough to make her think that acting was not for her? Yes, you read that right. While Jenna is on her way to becoming the next superstar with a handful of promising projects in her pipeline, there was a time when she was ready to give up her career in showbiz after she failed to grab substantial roles and was typecast as a child actress.
Jenna wowed viewers with her titular role as Wednesday in Tim Burton’s spin-off of The Addams Family. The Netflix-produced show dominated the digital sphere, bringing unprecedented global fame to Ortega, who will be returning to reprise her role in Wednesday Season 2. While the nerve-wracking plot and impeccable cast made the series the cultural phenomenon it is today, Jenna’s flawless portrayal of Wednesday Addams was instrumental in the show’s global success.
Currently, Jenna Ortega has a jam-packed schedule. She recently attended the premiere of her film, Finestkind, which made its digital debut on Paramount+ this Friday, while her upcoming film, Miller’s Girl, has already set tongues wagging thanks to its intriguing trailer. But before bagging such high-capacity projects, Jenna was typecast into kids’ roles, which she believed was a hindrance to her growth. She starred in numerous projects as a child actress, including a Disney show, Stuck in the Middle.
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Jenna’s Disney stint brought her enormous fame; however, it curated her image as a child actress, and when she entered her teens, she found it difficult to get rid of that image. After four seasons of Stuck in the Middle, Jenna was well into her teens, but she was still being approached to play the children’s roles. Despite working steadily for seven years, she was not considered to be the apt choice to play the role that suited her age. She was stereotyped and rejected, which forced her to think of putting a full stop to her acting journey.
Speaking with NYLON, Ortega once said, “There were multiple times where I was seriously considering quitting and stopping. Nobody tells you this until you get there, but there’s an awkward phase in your life where you’re going through puberty, and there’s a two-year span where work is just extra hard to find. I was too old for the young roles and too young for the older roles. It was really frustrating. You finally have to get that one job that moves the meter.”
Before it was too late, Ortega found a pivotal role in You, in which she portrayed the role of a feisty 15-year-old named Ellie. While she was not the main character in the Penn Badgley starrer, it helped her shred her Disney Darling image, as she impressed viewers with her sharpness and intelligence in Netflix’s psychological thriller. The actress also revealed that she loved the artistic freedom that she was given while filming You, which helped her shape her career.
One thing about Jenna Ortega is that she always craves artistic freedom, striving to bring her meticulous approach to her craft. However, as a child actress, she could never have that liberty of self-expression, which was potentially hampering her growth as an actress.
Well, as her fans, we cannot wait to watch what more Jenna has in store for us.
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