Jenna Ortega’s career has been an explosive one and is only getting hotter with her three titles on the 2025 movie list and the late summer arrival of Wednesday Season 2 (which is part of the 2025 Netflix TV and movie guide). Though she’s acted since childhood, it wasn’t until the late 2010s did she started to land more and more noteworthy projects. And of course, nabbing the Tim Burton series really launched her to new heights of fame. Now the young celeb can’t help but reflect on the road that’s led her here, and how different her life is after rising through Hollywood’s ranks.
Ortega chatted with V Magazine about her staggering success as an actress and becoming a household name after the premiere of Wednesday (which you can stream with a Netflix subscription). During the interview, the Death of a Unicorn alum was asked if she missed the anonymity before playing integral parts on multiple projects. She quickly confirmed that she did, and it’s one of the things she misses most about working in Tinseltown–the chase and uncertainty of landing big roles.
Oh, most definitely. I mean, that was just a few years ago. I’d done some shows and was working in film, but it wasn’t until that show, the day of the week [Wednesday], that just catapulted everything. As grateful as I am, and it was a dream role, it was so nice to have had way less pressure. I love the hustle. There’s something about the actor’s come-up and struggle that I really enjoyed. Sleeping in the cars, driving all around LA for auditions, and waiting for weeks, feeling sick to my stomach that I wasn’t going to get the job I really wanted.
That part of finding success is exciting, and I’m sure it’s even more so in Hollywood. The eponymous role fully shifted her career, and Season 2 almost instantaneously got picked up. After that, her resume expanded tenfold, and everyone recognized Ortega. I can see, though, how she has a soft side for the ride up to bagging The Addams Family spinoff. Just maybe not the sleeping in the car bit.
The Scream alum then explained she loved the thrill of the whole experience. Along with it, she noted the previous state of being was a much better feeling than the stakes she’s dealing with now. In her words:
The adrenaline rush of it all was so exciting. I don’t know if it’s common, or if you can relate to this, but it kind of feels like you’re perpetually in this loop of anxiety. I hold so much more pressure and weight in my body than I ever did, and I think it’s just kind of the expectation of it all.
What an insight into such a young, albeit mature, star. Ortega’s rise was a thing of destiny for sure, but nailing the iconic dark daughter sealed her fate much sooner. She’s certainly already been subjected to scrutiny for her buzzy creative actions BTS on Wednesday–all of which turned out to better serve the world. I have to assume her choices helped the Wednesday’s S2 teaser turn out to be as hyped up as it is.
But as she continues to miss the highs and lows of taking on a new creative endeavor, she may not have to look too far. In the same conversation, Ortega shared that she wants to direct as she advances within the industry, and it may be a perfect answer to what she’s been missing from those pre-Wednesday days.
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