Jenna Ortega is one of the most popular rising stars in the industry right now. At such a young age, she has made a name for herself starring in several projects that show her acting prowess. She played the popular role of Harley Diaz in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle. She has since gone on to star in acclaimed projects such as The Fallout, The Scream franchise, and X.
Netflix’s Wednesday made her a global star and she is now one of the most likable young actors in the industry. But it was not all sunshine and rainbows for the actress when she began her acting journey. She struggled to find roles that she could play and had problems conforming to the beauty standards of the industry.
Also read: 5 Times Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Seemingly Copied Iconic Harry Potter Moments and Fans Loved It
Jenna Ortega Couldn’t Get Roles In Hollywood Because Of Her Ethnicity
Jenna Ortega, like any other aspiring actress, wanted to make it big in the industry. But being a Hispanic girl came with its own challenges as there were barely any actresses in the industry she could look up to. There were barely any roles for people from her side of the world and she tried to conform to the American beauty standards that the industry held up to.
Ortega talked to Harper’s Bazaar about her early experiences in the industry. The struggle to get roles due to her ethnicity and trying to conform to the industry’s beauty standards were some issues she focused on in the interview. She said,
“As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get: You’re either the younger version of someone or you’re playing somebody’s daughter. And there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for.
So a lot of the jobs that I was going for growing up would never work out, because I didn’t look a certain way. That was really hard, to hear that something you couldn’t change was what was preventing you [from succeeding]. I wanted to dye my hair blonde so that I would look like Cinderella.”
The young actress has fought through all her early rejections and is now one of the most promising young actresses of her generation. Producers and filmmakers are realizing and seeing her unique talent. She is now as busy as ever, working on multiple projects that fans are looking forward to.
Jenna Ortega Is Fearful of Disappointing People Due to Her Actions
Jenna Ortega is now in her early 20s and is seeing the world with a more mature set of eyes. She wants people to love her and see her in a way that makes them proud and inspired. She does not want to let down her fans or the general public through her work or her actions.
She talked to Elle about all these aspects of the anxiety she feels about wanting to live up to people’s expectations. She said,
“I am so fearful of disappointing the people in my life, or even people in public. I want to live up to people’s expectations, which is something that I need to get over, but I’m also scared that, I don’t know, maybe someone will get to know me too well and realize that I’m not all that.
The kind words that I hear that they say about me through other people are unbelievable to me. I feel like just the people in my life see me in a way that I don’t really see myself.”
On the work front. Ortega has started work on the second season of her hit Netflix series Wednesday. She is also set to star in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 and alongside Paul Rudd in Death of a Unicorn.
