Who is Jenna Ortega, star of Netflix’s Wednesday? 5 facts to know, from being BFFs with Olivia Rodrigo to becoming the ‘incoming queen of horror’ in Scream, X and the new Addams Family spin-off

Nov 25 , 2022

Jenna Ortega at the Celebration of Latino Cinema and Television in November – the actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage is about to make it big thanks to Netflix’s Wednesday. Photo: Invision/AP

Jenna Ortega is about to make it big after landing the titular role in Tim Burton’s Addams Family spin-off for Netflix, Wednesday, following parts in Scream and X

But the 20-year-old is no stranger to Hollywood, having grown up on the Disney Channel alongside pal Olivia Rodrigo and playing a young Jane the Virgin

Jenna Ortega might have only just turned 20 years old in late September, but the actress already has an impressive resume, showing everyone that she’s truly one of Hollywood’s rising stars.

More specifically, in the past year, Ortega has been dubbed the “incoming queen of horror” thanks to her growing body of fright and slasher flicks – from Scream and American Carnage to Studio 666 featuring Dave Grohl.

Jenna Ortega seems to be the perfect fit for Hollywood’s most macabre film and TV roles. Photo: Invision/AP

Her latest project is the starring role in Tim Burton’s Wednesday, The Addams Family spin-off series on Netflix.

But what else do we know about the young brunette who has been working in the TV and film industry for a decade? Here are five things to know …

1. This was her breakout year

Jenna Ortega plays Tara Carpenter in the Scream films. Photo: @_jenna__ortega/Instagram

Ortega can certainly claim 2022 as her breakout year. She has become a bona fide horror star after performing in the reboot of Scream, playing Tara Carpenter alongside Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell and the rest of the crew. Two months later in March, she played a wannabe adult film star, Lorraine Day, in the slasher movie X. The flick was so popular it already has a prequel in the form of Pearl.

Now Ortega is one of the stars of Tim Burton’s The Addams Family spin-off series for Netflix, Wednesday.

In an interview with The Face, Ortega admitted that 2022 had been a year in which she finally felt she was making strides forward, saying: “I’m just now starting to see scripts that I’m interested in doing and projects that creatively fulfil me.”