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Jenna Ortega Biography & Facts

Jenna Marie Ortega (born September 27, 2002) is an American actress. She began her career as a child, receiving recognition for her role as young Jane in The CW comedy-drama series Jane the Virgin (2014–2019). From 2016 to 2018, Ortega had a leading role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, for which she won an Imagen Award. She played Ellie Alves in the second season of the thriller series You in 2019 and starred in the family film Yes Day in 2021, both for Netflix. Ortega received critical praise for her performance in the teen-drama film The Fallout (2021). In 2022, she starred in the slasher films Scream and X, and the following year in Scream VI, which established her as a scream queen. Also in 2022, Ortega began starring as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror-comedy series Wednesday, for which she received nominations at the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Early life Jenna Marie Ortega, the fourth of six siblings, was born on September 27, 2002, in Palm Desert, California, United States. Her father, a former sheriff who works at the California district attorney's office, is of Mexican descent, and her mother, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, works as an emergency room nurse. Ortega's maternal great-grandmother was an undocumented immigrant from Sinaloa, Mexico, and her maternal grandfather was from Puerto Rico. Ortega grew up in La Quinta, California. From the age of six she wanted to act; for three years, she begged her mother to let her pursue a career. Ortega's mother attempted to distract her with activities such as soccer and school. Ortega almost quit pursuing acting to participate in the former. Her mother later bought her a monologue book and posted a video of nine-year-old Ortega performing. A casting director watched the video and signed Ortega to an agency.Ortega's mother began driving her to Los Angeles to attend auditions, a trip that sometimes took six hours, up to five days a week. She struggled to secure parts because few roles for Latinas existed and she did not have "the look" sought by casting directors. Ortega stated that rejections motivated her to change their viewpoint. For the first year, Ortega, who had no connections in the film industry, limited her auditions to commercials; she secured parts in 12 national campaigns, including three McDonald's commercials. From Mondays to Fridays, Ortega acted in Los Angeles for a few days and returned home to attend school. She enrolled in public school, attending Amelia Earhart Elementary School and John Glenn Middle School. Ortega dropped out of school during eighth grade to act in Disney projects and got an apartment in Los Angeles after securing a role in Stuck in the Middle (2016–2018). During this time, Ortega worked in Los Angeles during the workweek and went home on weekends. Career 2012–2017: Early acting roles and Disney Ortega made her acting debut in the sitcom Rob (2012) and later appeared as a victim of an accidental shooting in the CSI: NY episode "Unspoken". In 2013, she made her film debut with a minor role as the vice president's daughter in the superhero film Iron Man 3. That same year, Ortega appeared in the horror film Insidious: Chapter 2 as part of the supporting cast. From 2014 to 2019, Ortega had a recurring role on The CW comedy television series Jane the Virgin as a younger version of Jane Villanueva, who is portrayed by Gina Rodriguez as an adult. Ortega said her audition was not "anything overwhelmingly special" and attributed her casting to her resemblance to Rodriguez. Declan Gallagher of Entertainment Weekly commended Ortega's performance, writing that "she eschews the trappings of a typical child actor". Ortega also starred in the direct-to-video comedy film The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014) and the Netflix series Richie Rich (2015). Ortega appeared in the film After Words (2015) as Anna Chapa. The Los Angeles Times praised her as "adorable" whereas The Arizona Republic found her "horribly cloying".From 2016 to 2018, Ortega led the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle as Harley Diaz, an aspiring inventor who is the middle child of the seven siblings. She said booking the role was "one of the best days of my life". Ortega drew inspiration from her own family and relationships with her siblings; she felt her experience starring on the show was akin to reality television. Common Sense Media praised Ortega's performance, saying she "commands this role, pleading her case as a long-suffering middle kid while finding the humor in the many calamities that befall her efforts to shine". Ortega garnered three Imagen Award nominations for Best Young Actor – Television, including a win in 2018. She also voiced Princess Isabel in Elena and the Secret of Avalor (2016) and Elena of Avalor (2016–2020). 2018–2021: Transition to mature roles In 2018, Ortega starred in the film Saving Flora in the lead role of Dawn, a circus owner's daughter. After the ending of Stuck in the Middle, Ortega aimed to act in more mature projects but found people assumed Disney roles were "all you can do, or all you were meant for". She considered quitting acting several times, stating she "was too old for the young roles and too young for the older roles". In 2018, Ortega was cast as Ellie Alves in the second season of the Netflix thriller series You, which was released on December 26, 2019. Like the show's first season, the second season received positive reviews, with The Hollywood Reporter's Robyn Bahr noting Ortega as "a standout performer". Retrospectively, Ortega said the show is "easily one of my favorite sets that I've ever, ever been on" and appreciated the creative freedom she was given. She was slated to return for the third and fourth seasons but was unable due to scheduling conflicts.Ortega played Phoebe in the Netflix horror film The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which was released in September 2020 to negative critical reviews. Ortega also voiced Brooklynn in the Netflix animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022). In 2021, she made her writing debut with the book It's All Love. Ortega subsequently starred in the Netflix comedy movie Yes Day (2021), portraying a stubborn teenager who wants more independence from her parents. She appreciated the film's representation of people of color because it was shown in "a casual setting where it's acknowledged" in lieu of "shoving it down your throat"; she said that it "could be a really good thing for young people of color to see". Yes Day was released in March 2021 to mixed reviews. IndieWire lauded Ortega as "very capable" and the Associated Press referred to her as "an impressively poised young actor".Ortega had a leading role in the high-school drama film The Fallout, starring as a student who is navigating her emotional trauma following a school shooting. To prepare for the role, she looked at photographs, and watched videos and interviews about .... Discover the Jenna Ortega popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jenna Ortega books.

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