Jenna Ortega

About Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega is an American actress and author.

She began her career at a young age, receiving recognition for her role as young Jane in the CW comedy-drama series "Jane the Virgin" and playing the lead role of Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series "Stuck in the Middle," for which she won an Imagen Award. She played Ellie Alves in the second season of the thriller series "You" in 2019 and starred in the family film "Yes Day" in 2021, both for Netflix. Ortega received critical praise for her performance in the drama film "The Fallout" (2021). In 2022 she starred in the slasher films "Scream" and "X" and, in the following year, "Scream VI," which established her as a scream queen. Also in 2022, Ortega began starring as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror-comedy series "Wednesday," for which she received nominations at the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Early Life:
Jenna Marie Ortega, the fourth of six siblings, was born on September 27, 2002, in Palm Desert, California, United States. Ortega grew up in La Quinta, California. From the age of six she wanted to act for three years; she begged her mother to let her pursue a career. Ortega's mother attempted to distract her with activities such as soccer and school. Ortega almost quit pursuing acting to participate in the former. Her mother later bought her a monologue book and posted a video of nine-year-old Ortega performing. A casting director watched the video and signed Ortega to an agency. Ortega's mother began driving her to Los Angeles to attend auditions, a trip that sometimes took six hours, up to five days a week. She struggled to secure parts because few roles for Latinas existed and she did not have "the look" sought by casting directors. Ortega stated rejections motivated her to change their viewpoint. For the first year, Ortega, who had no connections in the film industry, limited her auditions to commercials; she secured parts in 12 national campaigns, including three McDonald's commercials. From Mondays to Fridays, Ortega acted in Los Angeles for a few days and returned home to attend school. She enrolled in public school, attending Amelia Earhart Elementary School and John Glenn Middle School. Ortega dropped out of school during eighth grade to act in Disney projects and got an apartment in Los Angeles after securing a role in "Stuck in the Middle." During this time Ortega worked in Los Angeles during the workweek and went home on weekends.

Personal Life:
Ortega has said her friends and family give her a sense of safety that helps her deal with the more-challenging parts of her career, adding her family "keeps her feet on the ground." She believes growing up in an industry dominated by adults forced her to mature earlier than normal. Ortega followed a vegan diet for a long time but became pescatarian while filming Wednesday.

Bibliography:
It's All Love: Reflections For Your Heart & Soul (2020)

As of February 2026, Jenna has amassed 39.0 million followers on Instagram.