Jenna Ortega’s Rise To Fame_ From ‘Jane The Virgin’ To ‘Wednesday’
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00:00 I love work. If I'm not working, I go slightly insane.
00:03 - Jenna Ortega has had an epic rise to fame,
00:06 from a role on "Jane the Virgin"
00:07 to shooting to major fame in a role as Wednesday Addams.
00:11 This is Jenna Ortega's career evolution.
00:14 - Will it hurt?
00:15 - A little, probably.
00:16 - For how long?
00:17 - A second, maybe two.
00:19 - Hon, come on. It would have been over by now.
00:22 - Can you count down from three?
00:26 - From 2014 through 2019, Jenna played young Jane
00:29 in "Jane the Virgin," and in 2022,
00:32 she revealed to "Access" that her role on this series
00:34 was the first thing she was noticed by fans for.
00:37 - I just remember going to the mall,
00:38 'cause I was working on another job at the time,
00:41 and seeing Gina's face everywhere,
00:42 because they were promoting that show like no other,
00:45 and just being so excited and running through the mall,
00:47 pointing every time that I saw something like that.
00:49 And yeah, the first time you get recognized
00:51 for something like that is weird as well.
00:53 I think that's the first thing
00:54 that I was ever recognized for.
00:56 - While she was working on "Jane the Virgin,"
00:57 she also nabbed another iconic role
01:00 as Harley Diaz in Disney's "Stuck in the Middle."
01:03 - I'm the middle kid, so it's hand-me-down city.
01:06 I've gotten good at working with what I've got.
01:09 I'm not bragging.
01:11 Being creative isn't a choice.
01:13 It's survival.
01:14 Enjoy your new travel thumb.
01:16 - Fans loved to see her in the main role
01:19 on the upbeat Disney show,
01:21 but her next big role was a bit different.
01:24 - No, she is not my problem.
01:26 - How's your Insta?
01:28 Or do you only have a Finsta?
01:29 - I'm a little behind the times.
01:30 - Clearly.
01:32 Anyway, I'm at Ellie Eyeballs.
01:34 - In 2019, Jenna landed the role of Ellie
01:37 in season two of the Netflix thriller series,
01:39 "You," opposite Penn Badgley.
01:41 And she got to flex her impressive acting chops.
01:44 And shortly after, in 2021, she played Katie in "Yes Day."
01:48 - It's this new thing where parents say yes
01:50 to everything their kids ask for for 24 hours.
01:52 - Radical!
01:53 - How am I just hearing about this?
01:54 - Well, yes days are like fun.
01:56 - And mom and dad are like fun killers.
01:58 - We are plenty fun.
01:59 - She starred opposite Jennifer Garner and Edgar Ramirez,
02:03 who she had nothing but nice things to say about.
02:06 - Jennifer and Edgar are two actors
02:09 who I've been a big fan of their work
02:11 prior to working with them.
02:13 And I just had so much respect
02:15 for not only the way they carry themselves
02:18 just as individuals and media and in personal life,
02:24 but then also who they are as performers and actors.
02:28 I think they're very, very talented.
02:29 And I think that working with them,
02:34 I was not necessarily prepared for them
02:38 to be such incredible humans.
02:40 You know, you never know.
02:41 I didn't know if I was gonna be able
02:42 to get very close to them.
02:43 I didn't know what the situation was,
02:44 but they truly are just the kindest,
02:47 sweetest, most caring people.
02:49 So to be able to work in an environment
02:51 with people who not only do you have so much respect for,
02:54 but then also kind of deserve that respect
02:57 and have earned it is a really surreal experience.
03:01 And I just, I had such an amazing time
03:04 being able to share scenes with them
03:06 and learning from them every day.
03:08 - Jennifer in particular was really supportive
03:10 of Jenna from the start.
03:12 - I wouldn't say, I don't know about advice.
03:15 I mean, I'm sure she did, but it was more of,
03:18 it wasn't direct like,
03:19 "Hey, I'm gonna tell you these things
03:21 "just so you have them."
03:22 It was more so just learning a little bit more
03:24 about her experience coming up
03:26 and her preparing me for like, I don't know.
03:31 She would ask me about like certain things
03:33 that I'm dealing with now,
03:34 whether it be press days or whether it be,
03:36 you know, certain shoots.
03:37 And she would always call back and,
03:38 "Oh, I remember those days."
03:40 And, "They're gonna get you to do this and that."
03:42 So it was kind of like she was setting me up almost
03:44 for what's to come or at least what she sees for me,
03:46 which I thought was pretty cool
03:48 to hear from the woman herself.
03:50 But it was more stuff like that.
03:52 I think that she's just a very supportive human being.
03:55 So anything that I do, she's kind of right there
03:58 cheering for me and she made that clear.
04:00 And obviously it's the same going back and forth,
04:02 which is pretty insane.
04:04 - The actress expressed how happy she is
04:06 that Hollywood is embracing more diverse representation
04:08 on screen these days.
04:10 - Oh, I mean, it's such a wonderful thing
04:12 to be a part of, especially considering
04:14 I don't think that Hollywood,
04:17 I don't think I know that Hollywood has been so great
04:21 about representation and diversity in the past.
04:24 And while they're gradually becoming more open to the idea,
04:27 I think it's important that we show households
04:31 that are biracial or, you know, bilingual
04:34 or whatever the scenario may be,
04:36 because it's what the real world looks like.
04:39 You know, cinema and television,
04:40 it should be a representation of what the real world is.
04:43 And, you know, these households are more common
04:46 than you realize.
04:46 And I think that for young minds growing up
04:49 in a day and age where, you know,
04:50 you have like toxic environments, such as social media,
04:52 it's important for them to be able to relate to something
04:56 and feel represented and feel seen.
05:00 And I think that that's what a lot of what the,
05:04 this next generation, generation Z needs coming up
05:08 given the circumstances.
05:09 And I think that starting off with films like this
05:11 is a good start.
05:12 - As for her success at breaking
05:14 into the entertainment industry,
05:16 Jenna gives major credit to her mom
05:18 for supporting her along the way.
05:20 - I love work.
05:21 If I'm not working, I go slightly insane.
05:23 I think a big part of it, I mean, my career in general,
05:25 it's all my mom.
05:28 I mean, obviously I had to work hard to get to where I was
05:31 and, you know, do the lines and do the memorization
05:35 and, you know, make sure my reads were right
05:37 and, you know, go into rooms and meet people.
05:39 But my mother, I mean, she wasn't initially supportive
05:42 and wasn't really into the idea of me
05:46 entering the industry,
05:47 but her being such an incredible mother,
05:50 such a hardworking mother,
05:51 we had no connections to the industry
05:53 and she really saw how badly I wanted to be a part of this
05:56 and how badly I wanted to be an actor
05:57 and really worked to an extent
06:00 that I think it is quite unbelievable
06:04 to get me to the place where I am today.
06:05 And I don't know, just the sacrifices,
06:08 she needed the commitment, my family as well.
06:10 I wouldn't be able to do any of this
06:11 without all of the work that they put in as well.
06:14 So this is not just a one person thing.
06:17 I think I owe my entire family a huge something.
06:21 - A year later in 2022,
06:23 she nabbed the role of Tara in "Scream."
06:26 She spoke with Access about the role
06:28 and said she thought she initially didn't get it.
06:30 - Oh, I was ecstatic.
06:32 I honestly didn't think that I was gonna get the job
06:35 because oftentimes Hollywood casts 30 year olds
06:39 to play teenagers and I was 17 at the time
06:42 that I booked the job.
06:43 So I don't know, I really wasn't expecting it
06:46 and I had auditioned and didn't hear anything
06:48 for four or five months.
06:50 So I kind of thought that, I don't know,
06:51 typically with jobs, it gets to that time period
06:54 you didn't get it and you just kind of move on.
06:57 So when I got the call to meet with the directors,
07:00 things started to happen very fast.
07:02 And before I knew it a week later,
07:03 I knew that I was going to Wilmington to film this job
07:06 and to be a part of a franchise that is loved by so many,
07:10 but especially loved by myself.
07:13 I was a huge fan and it was just really exciting
07:15 because I think it's rare that you get to actually
07:18 participate in things that you become a fan of.
07:21 So yeah, I was excited.
07:23 - Pugsley, you're soft and weak.
07:28 You'll never survive without me.
07:29 I give you two months, tops.
07:31 I'm gonna miss you too, sis.
07:33 - That same year, she scored her big breakout role
07:36 as Wednesday Adams in Netflix's "Smash Hit Wednesday"
07:39 and she revealed to Access how she's been compared
07:42 to the character in the past.
07:43 - I have a very dry sense of humor
07:45 and I think that if you got to know me,
07:47 you would find that I'm very negative.
07:49 Or like depressing at times.
07:51 I don't know, I've always kind of turned
07:52 towards darker things and I think it's kind of weird
07:54 when you're in an industry like this too
07:56 because you feel the need to be something else.
07:58 But yeah, most people think I'm a little weird in that way.
08:01 - Her character also has quite the iconic
08:04 hair and makeup style, which is something Jenna
08:06 hasn't undergone with any of her past roles.
08:09 - I've never had a character where I've done
08:11 such a physical transition before.
08:12 One that required, you know, I remember
08:14 when we first got out to Romania,
08:15 well, initially I had a hair and makeup test
08:17 with Tim in London and we decided,
08:19 he knew that he wanted something visually
08:20 to be different than past iterations.
08:23 So the bangs came into play, which he really, really loved.
08:26 I think that he liked it,
08:27 it was kind of a '60s mystery detective.
08:28 - Yeah.
08:29 - So that was different for me.
08:31 And then the black hair and then, yeah,
08:33 there was a little bit more of a pale face
08:35 and the black and white wardrobe.
08:36 It's funny because I remember on the first day
08:38 looking in the mirror and not really recognizing myself.
08:41 But then you do it for eight months
08:42 and by the end you're just thinking, get it off of me.
08:45 - Right, I'm done with this now.
08:46 - Yeah.
08:48 - The deadpan look, I mean, it's iconic with Wednesday.
08:50 You, oh my God, give it like no one else.
08:53 It's so good.
08:54 What's the key to the deadpan?
08:56 For you, is it natural since, you know,
08:59 you know, this is a--
08:59 - Yeah, I think it's pretty natural.
09:00 I think people don't realize how much people's,
09:04 people are engaging the muscles in their face all the time.
09:06 Like if you dropped all the muscles in your face,
09:08 you just look sad.
09:10 It's actually something that I do when I do horror.
09:12 I just kinda like drop my face and my bangs move forward
09:15 and then it's pretty easy.
09:16 But every time before we started to take,
09:18 Tim liked when I looked through my eyebrows
09:20 so I would rest my face, look through the eyebrows
09:22 and then we would start so it was like
09:23 clean slate every time.
09:24 - Jenna's also a big fan of another Wednesday,
09:27 Christina Ricci.
09:28 She gushed over what it was like getting to work with her.
09:31 - Christina Ricci is just such a talented actor.
09:35 I've always been a fan of her work
09:37 and obviously it all started with Wednesday.
09:39 So I think it was a little intimidating definitely
09:41 trying to be Wednesday in front of Wednesday
09:44 or somebody that I've always looked at as that character.
09:47 But also just her professionalism
09:49 and the way that she carries herself
09:50 when you're working with someone
09:50 who is so gifted at what they do.
09:52 It kinda makes it easier,
09:53 your own personal job easier and kind of elevates everything
09:56 which I just, it really was such a pleasure.
09:58 - One thing that you both have in common
10:00 is both having been child stars.
10:02 I'm curious to know if that was something
10:03 you guys bonded over.
10:04 Did you talk about that?
10:06 - It was weird.
10:07 Christina came in kind of towards the end of the job.
10:09 She had been on another job and then came in
10:11 and when we were working together,
10:12 everything was moving at such a fast pace.
10:14 Towards the end of the job, we both were pretty tired.
10:16 She had just had a child.
10:17 It was a lot and we didn't talk too much about,
10:21 we never once mentioned Wednesday.
10:23 We never, any conversation that we had on set
10:25 was very casual like, oh, where are you from?
10:27 Sort of thing and yeah, it was nice getting to know her.
10:31 - Since shooting to the A-list on Wednesday,
10:33 Jenna has been at tons of star-studded award shows
10:36 including the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards
10:39 where she was nominated for her role in the hit series.
10:42 - Well, it's a really big honor.
10:45 I don't think I ever really anticipated something,
10:47 attending this event.
10:49 So to be a part of this room with all of these actors
10:51 and creators that I admire so much
10:53 is really, really exciting to me
10:55 and it's an event with all of your peers.
10:57 I think it makes these kind of awkward social settings
11:01 a little bit less awkward, which is nice.
11:03 - The star reflected on how she was able
11:05 to get her SAG card.
11:07 - When I first started acting,
11:08 because I didn't have any connection to the industry,
11:10 my first agent ever, they told me
11:12 that I had to do commercials.
11:13 I was only allowed to do commercials.
11:15 I couldn't do film, television, whatever.
11:17 But if you do enough national commercials in a row
11:19 that are under the SAG union, you have to get your card.
11:22 And I got three national commercials within my first month
11:25 and I had to get my SAG card immediately.
11:27 And then I could only do union commercials.
11:29 But it was such like a yes thing because I didn't,
11:32 I couldn't work again without it, which was really funny.
11:35 - Do you remember the most random commercial
11:37 you've ever done?
11:38 I did a furniture commercial once.
11:40 I hope it never ends up on YouTube.
11:42 - I did an avocado commercial once.
11:44 Yeah, that was really, really random.
11:45 - Just literally selling avocados?
11:47 - Yeah, and they didn't ask me to eat the avocado
11:49 or anything, I'm just sitting at a dinner table and laughing.
11:52 Like the avocado was really funny, I guess.
11:54 - Laughing gleefully at an avocado no one could.
11:58 - Yeah, avocado, ah.
12:00 - Why are you three dressed like religious fanatics?
12:04 - We're pilgrims.
12:05 - Potato, potato.
12:06 - She was also nominated for a Golden Globe for the role.
12:09 And at the award show, she spoke with Access
12:11 about how it felt being at her first Globes
12:13 and how much fans love her show.
12:16 - Yeah, this is my first Globes.
12:17 - Wow, what do you think so far?
12:18 - I, it's, I mean, it's all right, actually.
12:22 I feel like I've been to enough big events that it's,
12:25 I'm kind of used to this carnival of a show.
12:29 So it's all right.
12:30 - Yeah, you're a veteran now,
12:31 even though you're incredibly young still of all this.
12:33 And I love the success with Wednesday.
12:35 Was that, did it kind of catch you off guard,
12:37 like the phenomenon that it became so quickly?
12:40 - Yeah, it's, I try not to pay too much attention
12:43 to what's going on, but I think that I've,
12:46 I felt a, I've definitely felt the shift in my life
12:49 in the way things are operating now,
12:52 which has been really, really strange,
12:53 but I'm really, really glad that people even like the show.
12:56 I put a lot of pressure on myself,
12:57 and Wednesday is in literally every scene.
13:00 So if this show has brought any sort of joy
13:02 or entertainment or has given people an escape
13:04 from reality in any sense and brought them joy,
13:07 that makes me very, very happy.
13:08 - As for that iconic dance from the show,
13:11 it's something Jenna can't seem to escape.
13:13 - So how many people of note have done your dance already?
13:16 I saw Lady Gaga.
13:17 I saw, I mean, you must trip out on all the people
13:19 that have done the Wednesday dance, right?
13:21 - It's so funny because Netflix told me
13:23 that they thought that it was gonna be some viral situation
13:26 and I kind of laughed at them because obviously
13:28 they wanna be as encouraging and supportive of the show,
13:31 and I thought they were just trying to be nice,
13:32 and then, yeah, I feel like I can't escape it now.
13:36 I've seen practically everyone do it,
13:37 and I've seen some really incredible iterations,
13:40 so it's pretty cool.
13:42 - Jenna has a ton of projects in the works,
13:44 from reprising her role in the upcoming season of Wednesday
13:47 to starring in "Beetlejuice 2" as Lydia's daughter.
13:50 We can't wait to see what's next for her.
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