In recent years, Jenna Ortega has quickly risen as a young Hollywood star. Her role on Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle seemingly foreshadowed her Wednesday role. Plus, Ortega is one of the new faces of the Scream franchise too. With several other roles under her belt, it seems like she is taking over the industry. However, even though she has done some pretty big projects, she can’t watch her own work.
While some actors may get a kick out of watching themselves, either in the form of introducing their loved ones to their work or merely rewatching for enjoyment, Ortega is not one of them. Despite being part of projects like Scream and Wednesday, she told Bazaar why she can’t watch her own work, and the reason makes total sense:
I can’t watch my work, as I know I won’t be able to push forward and continue to grow as an actor if I cling on to certain things. A lot of people in my profession can probably relate to this: when you do a take you don’t like, you go to bed kicking yourself. But ultimately, all I can do is be vulnerable and honest when the camera’s on, and then I have to move on and let it go. It’s really hard for me to not feel in control.
It sounds like Jenna Ortega would rather keep focusing on the present and the future rather than her past. That’s definitely not uncommon. Some people just want to do the work and move on to the next project. She seems to know her limits, and she understands that if she watches her projects back she'll likely just end up "kicking" herself.
While she doesn’t like to go back and watch her old work, her passion for making the best project possible is palpable. Ortega went to great lengths to perfect her role as Wednesday Addams. Not only was it tough for her to play the nostalgic character and have it be different than Christina Ricci’s, it was also mentally hard to play Wednesday because of how demanding the role was. However, she persevered, and she has received lots of love for the role (and an Emmy nomination too).
Meanwhile, Jenna Ortega is likely looking forward to the future and what she is going to do next. Over the summer, her film Death of a Unicorn was given an Interim Agreement from SAG amidst the strike so it could continue filming. This was because the project is independent and not under a studio contract, as it’s from A24. There have also been rumors surrounding Ortega’s involvement with Scream 7, and it’s still unclear whether or not she’s returning. Also, once the strike is over, she'll also be able to get back to work on Season 2 of Wednesday.
Even though the actress has a lot of projects she’s been in, she is just looking forward to the future and not worrying about what she previously did. To her, she doesn’t want to be tied down to one thing, and she doesn’t want to think she’d be motivated by watching her previous work. She is not the only actor who refuses to watch old work, and she isn’t going to be the last.
Jenna Ortega may not want to view her old work, but that doesn’t mean fans can’t. While waiting for Season 2 of Wednesday, be sure to sign up for a Netflix subscription to watch the first season.
