Who is Jenna Ortega?
By now if you haven’t heard of Jenna Ortega, I’m going to assume you’ve been living under a rock. For the last few months, and at just 19 years old, she’s already making a name for herself as horror icon. Ortega was thrown into the spotlight this year when she teamed up with horror alumni, Neve Campbell to star in the latest instalment of the horror franchise SCREAM.
But does she have what it takes to become the new face of the genre and become our new ‘Final Girl’?
This may be up for debate but we’re definitely about to find out. Not only has her portrayal of ‘Tara Carpenter’ (SCREAM 2022) been a hit with the crowd, it has been confirmed that Jenna will star in two new horror movies: ‘Studio 666’ and ‘X’. Those who can’t get enough of Miss Ortega won’t have to wait for long as both projects are due to be released later this year.
Previous Work
Jenna isn’t new to the darker side of acting, in fact she has a few chilling titles under her belt already. Having a supporting role in the second instalment of another well-established horror franchise: Insidious, and a starring role in Netflix movie: ‘The Babysitter: Killer Queen’. For those of you who don’t enjoy the thrills of horror movies, she also had a supporting role in the extremely popular Netflix series: ‘YOU’ alongside Penn Badgley. I believe this is the role that really got people talking about Jenna, as her character Ellie Alves soon became a fan favourite. From fighting off psychotic babysitters to the infamous Ghostface himself, It’s clear Ortega has already begun perfecting her killer scream.
Most recently Ortega caused a frenzy over her critically acclaimed movie ‘The Fallout’ with many fans and doubters alike agreeing that she is indeed a very talented young woman, most saying that her portrayal of the sensitive topic that is school shootings was done to perfection.
Taking a look at her impressive filmography, it’s not hard to see why Jenna is being dubbed Hollywood’s newest ‘It Girl’ in training. I mean if you have THE Tim Burton’s approval then you know you’ve made it (Jenna is set to star in ‘Wednesday’ an adaptation made by Burton for Netflix). However, she wasn’t always drawn to all things evil, Ortega was once a Disney girl; she had a star role in the show ‘Stuck in the Middle’ which won her the Imagen Award for Best young actor on TV (2018). Once a Disney star, it has been known to be hard to shake the ‘good girl’ image, but I think Jenna has done it with ease.
Next big Celebrity influencer?
Aside from her flourishing career as an actress, Jenna Ortega has also been known to use her platform to bring awareness to some important issues in society today. She speaks openly about discrimination within different communities, most notably the LGBTQ+ community. She has also spoken out in the past, claiming she tries her best to remain as authentic as she can, not only for her own mental health but to help the millions of young women/men who look up to her to do the same. Because of these advocacies, she was given 1st place on PopSugar’s ’20 under 20’ list (2020). On top of all this, Ortega has also gained followers from the fashion community for expressing her interest in the field.
Honestly, I don’t know how she finds time to do it all. I need tips girl!
Personal view
Not that anyone’s asking but seeing as I’ve spent so much time speaking about Jenna Ortega and her shot to stardom, I might as well add my own opinion. When I heard there was going to be a new instalment of Scream, I was crazy excited, growing up a fan of the movies I couldn’t wait to see how they would bring Ghostface back. However, learning Ortega was going to be the new star was, at first slightly off-putting (due to me only seeing her in ‘YOU’) but by the beginning of the opening scene I was already rooting for her character! Every time I thought she was going to face final call I would grab my boyfriend’s arm and quietly scream: NO!
I think Jenna has a real talent for the horror scene, now don’t get me wrong she isn’t Neve Cambell or Jamie Lee Curtis just yet, but Jenna had real charisma on the screen making you root for her survival.
I cannot wait to watch her in action again! Best believe I will be first in line for her new projects.
Its safe to say Jenna Ortega is one to watch.
Lauren is a content writer that is creating her own book and aspires to become a published author. While writing content, she also spends her time performing as an actress for different projects presented to her.
