16 Facts About Jenna Ortega, The Viral & Titular Star Of Wednesday On Netflix (2024)

Jenna Ortega Facts

Heads up to those who only know Wednesday as “hump day” or the middle of a week, as there is now a new meaning to it ‒ the viral Netflix series Wednesday. As a TL;DR for the unversed, the drama is based on Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family, played by Jenna Ortega.

Ever since the release of Wednesday, Jenna Ortega has gained a huge amount of following and become the next “it” girl of Hollywood. For curious folks interested in the 20-year-old actress, read on for more facts of the burgeoning star.

Contents

  • Jenna Ortega Facts
    • 1. She has 5 siblings
    • 2. Discovered through a Facebook video
    • 3. Was a Disney child star
    • 4. Was mostly homeschooled
    • 5. Is incredibly proud of her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage
    • 6. Voiced Disney’s first Latina princess
    • 7. She is the ambassador of UNAIDS
    • 8. Auditioned for Wednesday with fake blood
    • 9. Gained 10 million followers in 10 days
    • 10. She’s close to Olivia Rodrigo
    • 11. Has been in front of a camera for more than half of her life
    • 12. Already won awards for her acting
    • 13. Spent more than 6 months in Romania to film for Wednesday
    • 14. Her first movie role was in Iron Man 3
    • 15. A huge fan of chocolate
    • 16. She choreographed Wednesday’s dance scene herself, while having Covid
  • These Jenna Ortega Facts Show That She Is An Upcoming Actress To Look Out For

1. She has 5 siblings

Jenna with her siblings and nephew
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For many of us, it is hard to imagine growing up in a big family, but Jenna grew up with five other siblings and her parents. She is the fourth child in the family, and fans were previously introduced to her family members through a YouTube video by Disney.

The wholesome video suggests that Jenna treasures her family time, and she even shared how she always enjoys a soccer game with them.

2. Discovered through a Facebook video

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Known as a “dramatic kid” by her mother, Jenna revealed that she was discovered by a casting agent after her mother posted a video of her on Facebook. Initially, her mother only posted the video as a joke for her friends, but it seemed like it later became the turning point of her life.

As Jenna was only 7 years old back then, her mother wasn’t sure about letting her enter showbiz, but we’re so glad that she did eventually.

3. Was a Disney child star

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Jenna was only 13 years old when she became a Disney child star thanks to her role as Harley Diaz in Stuck in the Middle. Her character is an aspiring inventor who pieces gadgets together as her means of dealing with living in a large family.

Perhaps because of the fact that she comes from a large family IRL, Jenna pulled off her role as the middle child of the seven Diaz siblings perfectly. Curious fans of Jenna can catch the sitcom series on Disney+.

4. Was mostly homeschooled

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Growing up in Coachella Valley in Southern California, Jenna attended public school until she was cast by Disney for Stuck in the Middle. Since then, she had to be homeschooled for most of her high school years due to the nature of her acting career.

As Jenna missed out on many high school traditions like prom, it was reported by Yahoo that Disney threw a prom for her where she met stars from other shows too.

5. Is incredibly proud of her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage

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Being 75% Mexican and 25% Puerto Rican, Jenna understood the meaning of staying true to herself at a young age. During an interview with Teen Vogue in 2016, she emphasised that “it is important to embrace your culture”.

As a person representing the Latino community, Jenna takes pride in her own culture and background. She stood up for Pride Over Prejudice to show her support for refugees and immigrants, especially since her ancestors settled in the U.S. as immigrants to build a better life for their families.

6. Voiced Disney’s first Latina princess

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On top of being proud of her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, Jenna was honoured to lend her voice to Disney’s Elena of Avalor. Voicing Princess Isabel, a Latina princess, Jenna revealed that she was excited to be part of a show that brought diversity to the small screen.

Plus, she also shared that it was a dream come true for her to be able to play a Latina princess.

7. She is the ambassador of UNAIDS

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Putting the influence she has as an actress to good use, Jenna is an ambassador for UNAIDS. She has been working closely with the organisation in honour of her late grandfather, who passed away from AIDS.

To raise awareness about AIDS and the impact it has on young people, Jenna also gave a speech during WE Day in 2017, highlighting that she wishes to “eliminate the stigma of AIDS and get people talking about it”. We have no choice but to stan an actress who advocates for positive change in society.

8. Auditioned for Wednesday with fake blood

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Whether it is an interview or an audition, one can easily tell if an applicant is well-prepared or not based on the way they present themselves. During her online audition for Wednesday, Jenna revealed that she had hopped onto a Zoom call with Tim Burton on the other end with synthetic gore and fake blood on her face.

Since she had just filmed a horror scene for the movie X in New Zealand before the call, she thought it was perfect to keep the look. 10 out of 10 for being on-brand.

Also read:

20 Facts About Hong Huifang, The Mediacorp Actress In The New Singapore-South Korea Film Ajoomma

9. Gained 10 million followers in 10 days

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Jenna’s popularity is no joke ‒ after the release of Wednesday on Netflix, her Instagram account gained more than 10 million followers in 10 days. Currently, she has a total following of 26.8 million, but I’m sure that in just days to come, she will surpass that amount already.

10. She’s close to Olivia Rodrigo

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Fun fact: Olivia Rodrigo was also a Disney star, and she met Jenna through the set of Disney’s Bizaardvark, a comedy series.

It appeared that they are still close to each other as fans noticed their interaction when Jenna presented the pop singer with the “Best Music Documentary” during MTV Movie and TV Awards 2022.

11. Has been in front of a camera for more than half of her life

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One could easily imagine an 8-year-old kid playing games and having fun. But for Jenna, she was going to auditions and pursuing her acting dream at that age. Along with the help of her mother and casting agents, she secured a small acting role on the TV series Rob in 2012 and made her debut.

Since then, Jenna has been in front of a camera for acting and commercial advertisements, and her notable works include the TV series Jane the Virgin and Disney’s Stuck in the Middle. That’s not all ‒ she is also a regular in horror films with her name credited in Insidious: Chapter 2 and Scream 5.

12. Already won awards for her acting

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For many actors, there’s no better feeling than getting acknowledged for your hard work. Jenna was nominated thrice for the Best Young Actor award by the Imagen Foundation, and she eventually took home the award in 2018. FYI, Imagen Foundation encourages the positive portrayal of Latinos in the media industry, so you’d know how meaningful the award meant to Jenna.

Most recently during MTV Movie & TV Awards 2022, Jenna was also presented with the Most Frightened Performance for Scream 5.

13. Spent more than 6 months in Romania to film for Wednesday

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After securing the role of Wednesday Addams, Jenna flew to Romania and stayed there for more than 6 months for the filming of the Netflix series. As the saying goes: “Good things take time” ‒ the eight episodes of Wednesday were filmed from September 2021 to March 2022 in various locations like Cantacuzino Castle and Bucharest.

14. Her first movie role was in Iron Man 3

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With Marvel Cinematic Universe aka MCU being the constant hype in the film industry, it is quite impressive for Jenna to make her movie debut almost a decade ago in 2013’s Iron Man 3. Avid Marvel fans might recall her acting as the Vice President’s daughter who required regenerative treatment.

Although Jenna only appeared in the movie for a short while, there’s no denying that it would be cool to rewatch the film and spot her name in the credits.

15. A huge fan of chocolate

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Just like everyone else, Jenna has her likes and dislikes when it comes to food choices. As a chocolate enthusiast, she shared that her go-to flavours when choosing ice cream are chocolate fudge brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough.

Fingers crossed that in the near future, we might even see Jenna be the brand ambassador for candy brands.

16. She choreographed Wednesday’s dance scene herself, while having Covid

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Chances are, you’ve seen the Wednesday dance trend on TikTok, and if you didn’t know, the viral dance challenge was based on the dance scene in the Netflix series. For context, Wednesday was dancing during Nevermore Academy’s dance in front of Tyler, a normie who developed feelings for her.

During an interview with NME, Jenna revealed that she choreographed the ‘80s goth nightclub-inspired moves while she was suffering from Covid-19 during the filming. As it was her first day with the virus, Jenna also shared that it was “awful to film”. Thankfully, the scene turned out iconic and even went viral.

Catch the clip of Jenna as Wednesday Addams nailing those creepy moves on YouTube.

These Jenna Ortega Facts Show That She Is An Upcoming Actress To Look Out For

While Jenna has built an image of being a horror movie actress, there is no denying that she is also a person who cares a lot about making positive changes in society. With her newfound fame with Wednesday, we can’t wait to see what she has for fans in the future.

Cover: Source, source, source

Also read:

16 Facts About Jenna Ortega, The Viral & Titular Star Of Wednesday On Netflix (2024)

FAQs

Why does Jenna Ortega always wear headphones? ›

Jenna says she grew up in a very hectic household. and the headphones helped her escape the chaos. Without them, she feels stressed very easily.

Is Jenna Ortega an A-list celebrity? ›

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and Anyone but You's Glen Powell are among the top 10 young Hollywood A-list stars named by The Hollywood Reporter.

How many followers did Jenna Ortega have before Wednesday? ›

PopCrave charted the growth rate of her account, and as you can see, she had 9.39 million followers on the day Wednesday premiered and 20-ish million followers 10 days later.

What did Jenna Ortega refuse to say? ›

Among the lines that she struck from the record were: “Oh my god, I love it. Ugh, I can't believe I'm freaking out over a dress. I literally hate myself” – intended to be said when Wednesday tries on a dress for the school dance. “I had to go, 'No,'” recalled Ortega.

Does Jenna have a boyfriend? ›

For the time being, it appears that Ortega is single and not romantically involved with anyone. Throughout her career, there have been several rumors about Ortega's dating life, but she has never publicly confirmed being in a serious relationship.

Who is the #1 most popular celebrity? ›

fame is defined by the % of people who have heard of a person. Find out more
  1. 1 Donald Trump99%
  2. 2 Arnold Schwarzenegger98%
  3. 3 Barack Obama98%
  4. 4 Johnny Depp98%
  5. 5 Beyoncé98%
  6. 6 Jim Carrey98%
  7. 7 Bill Cosby98%
  8. Donald Trump, Jr. 98%

Who is the actor that looks like Jenna Ortega? ›

Jenna Ortega & Aubrey Plaza

Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza proved they're long-lost twins at the 2023 SAG Awards. At the star-studded event, the two presented the award for Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series and questioned why they were event paired together in the first place.

How rich is Jenna Ortega? ›

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Cast Net Worth: Jenna Ortega Ranks The Lowest With $5 Million Fortune While The #1 Contender Earns 800% More Than The Wednesday Star – Find Out!

How old was Jenna Ortega when playing Wednesday? ›

Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams, gives an outstanding performance despite being 21 years old while her character is 16. Many of the actors in Wednesday, such as Emma Meyers and Joy Sunday, successfully portray younger characters despite being older themselves.

Why did Jenna Ortega lose followers? ›

What caused Jenna Ortega to lose followers on Instagram? Jenna Ortega quit social media after being trolled on Twitter.

What headphones does Jenna Ortega own? ›

Jenna talking about her Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. She really loves her headphones 😍❤️❤️, She and her headphones are such an iconic duo.

Does Jenna Ortega listen to music? ›

I listen to a lot of Discovery by Daft Punk or Homework by Daft Punk.

What race is Jenna Ortega? ›

Her father, Edward Ortega, is a businessperson of Mexican descent, and her mother, Natalie Ortega, is a nurse of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.

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