Jenna Ortega
Birthdate: Sep 27, 2002
Birthplace: Coachella Valley, California, USA
Jenna Ortega (birthname: Jenna Marie Ortega) has built her rising young career by straddling both film and TV careers, playing lead roles in series like Stuck in the Middle (2016-2018), Elena of Avalor (2016-2020), and her attention-grabbing starring role as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror-comedy series, Wednesday (2022) as well as movie franchises like Scream, while expanding her professional profile into producing. Ortega’s feature debut was a small role in Iron Man 3 (2013), followed by a supporting role in Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013).
Ortega’s first significant theatrical feature role was in writer-director Juan Feldman’s After Words (2015), with Ortega co-starring with Marcia Gay Harden and Oscar Jaenada. Ortega, After a small role in writer-director Christopher Winterbauer’s Wyrm (2019), premiering at Fantastic Fest and the Netflix streaming films, The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020) and Yes Day (2021)—for which she was nominated for Best Actress in the Imagen Awards had her first starring role in a film in the New Line/HBO Max feature on streaming, The Fallout (2021), which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
Jenna Ortega’s breakthrough feature role was as Tara in the series relaunch of Scream (2022), co-starring Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell, and earning a strong $140 million worldwide, far surpassing $24 million costs.
Ortega’s next horror stint was a supporting role in Studio 666 (2022), starring rockers Dave Grohl, Will Forte, and Jeff Garlin. This was followed by Ortega earning a co-starring role in Ti West’s striking' 70s-era horror film X (2022), starring Mia Goth, Martin Henderson, and Brittany Snow. The film grossed ($15 million) 15 times its budget ($1 million).
Ortega returned to co-star in Scream VI (2023), co-directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. In a genre and professional turn, Ortega was among the lead producers who co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, and Toby Wallace in Brian Helgeland’s crime drama, Finestkind (2023).
Ortega starred, with Percy Hynes White, in writer-director Tiffany Paulsen’s indie relationship drama, Winter Spring Summer or Fall (2024), and then co-starred with Martin Freeman in writer-director Jade Halley Bartlett’s academic comedy-drama for Lionsgate, Miller’s Girl (2024).
Ortega landed the leading new role of Astrid Deetz in director/producer Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel for Warner Bros., Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), with Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe, premiering at the Venice Film Festival.
Ortega co-starred and executive produced the tentatively-titled Untitled Trey Edward Shults Film, co-starring The Weeknd (who also co-wrote with director Shults and writer Reza Fahim) and Barry Keoghan. Ortega co-starred with Paul Rudd in director/writer/producer Alex Scharfman’s black comedy, Death of a Unicorn (date to be announced), with Richard E. Grant, Tea Leoni, and Will Poulter, and was released by A24.
Jenna Ortega starred in the title role in Taika Waititi-directed adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s highly acclaimed sci-fi novel, Klara and the Sun (date to be announced), with Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne, Simon Baker, and Steve Buscemi, and released by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Personal Details
Jenna Ortega was born and raised in La Quinta, California, by parents Natalie and Edward Ortega. She is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. Ortega is part of a large family, including five other siblings: Aliyah, Mariah, Mia, Markus, and Isaac. Because of her busy child acting career, Ortega received individual and private tutoring and did not attend schools.
Filmography
actor
Previous (7)
- 2024 | Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceasAstrid Deetz
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Af...
- 2024 | Miller’s GirlasCairo Sweet
Miller’s Girl
A creative writing assignment yields complex results between a teacher and his talented student.
- 2023 |
- 2022 |
- 2022 | Studio 666asSkye Willow
Studio 666
Legendary rock band Foo Fighters move into an Encino mansion steeped in grisly rock and roll history to record their much anticipated 10th album.
- 2022 |
- 2021 |
Some Facts About Jenna Ortega
Hot Star: Jenna Ortega was named “The Next Big Thing” by The Hollywood Reporter in 2022. And with her co-starring roles in Scream and Scream VI, she is now known as a “Scream Queen.”
Career Choice: Ortega nearly changed her career from acting to women’s soccer, and has stated that she’s a fan of Argentine soccer legend, Lionel Messi.
Causes: Jenna Ortega has publicly supported the LGBTQ+ campaign, Pride Over Prejudice, as well as the WE Charity, and has been an ambassador for the United Nations initiative, UNAIDS.
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