It’s no wonder to fans of Gen Z actress Jenna Ortega that starring as the titular Wednesday catapulted her star status to greater heights. But did you know she also appeared in these popular films and series?
Before top-billing movie franchises, Jenna Ortega got her humble acting start at seven, often by playing little girls ahead of their age on television, including in Jane the Virgin and the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle. And we’ve got her mom, Natalie, to thank for uploading a Facebook video of her performing a monologue, which led to her being discovered by a casting agent.
Now an A-lister dubbed as one of the new generation “scream queens,” Jenna has been busy with major movie deals left and right. With a slew of upcoming roles to look forward to, we’ve listed a few memorable performances from the Wednesday star to binge-watch before her next big thing.
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Astrid Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Fresh from the Wednesday success, Jenna Ortega took another iconic role, one for the horror-comedy books.
Fans of the 1988 Beetlejuice film rejoiced when a sequel was in the works, with Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara reprising their original roles. Since director Tim Burton already took a shine to Jenna while working with her on Wednesday, it’s a no-brainer to cast her as Winona Ryder’s (Lydia Deetz) on-screen daughter, Astrid, for this 2024 film. It was a dream come true for loyal Tim Burton buffs.
Watch Jenna as Astrid in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on Max.
Tara Carpenter in the Scream Franchise
The infamous “Ghost Face” from the Scream slasher franchise has new, well, faces. The main Scream queen is also a fairly new face, going by the name of Tara Carpenter, played by the Wednesday star. The OG survivor of the Ghost Face aftermaths, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), has apparently passed the baton to Tara to continue the vigilance against the never-ending serial killers.
Jenna shared the screen with Melissa Barrera, who plays her sister Sam. Together with their friends, the duo fights for their lives as they outsmart the masked murderers in Scream’s fifth (2022) and sixth (2023) installments.
Watch Jenna as Tara in Scream VI on Netflix.
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Lorraine in X
It seemed that Jenna had a great time making slasher flicks in 2022, with back-to-back successes with Scream and the 1979-set X. Even with just brief screen times, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress nailed her performance as the curiously naive filming assistant Lorraine, who was just one of Pearl (Mia Goth) and Howard’s (Stephen Ure) victims on their killing spree.
Watch Jenna as Lorraine in X on Netflix.
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Ellie Alves in You
Jenna’s streak of getting side-by-side with serial killers may have begun with playing Ellie Alves in the Netflix series You’s second season (2019). Throughout the season, cinephile Ellie dealt with murder around the corner. Well, this was naturally bound to happen when you have an awfully suspicious neighbor like the show’s main character, stalker Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley).
Watch Jenna as Ellie in You season 2 on Netflix.
Katie Torres in Yes Day
Let’s steer away from the morbid and dark for a bit and talk about one of Jenna’s fun family movies, Yes Day (2021). A light-hearted day of adventure led Jenna’s Katie Torres and her siblings to experience a whole new level of refreshing freedom and reconciliation with her uptight parents, played by America’s sweetheart Jennifer Garner and Latino heartthrob Édgar Ramírez.
Watch Jenna as Katie in Yes Day on Netflix.
Cairo Sweet in Miller’s Girl
Known for her tween and teen characters onscreen, it was hard to imagine Jenna taking on a more mature role like Cairo Sweet in the 2024 thriller, Miller’s Girl. Starring opposite English actor Martin Freeman as the titular Jonathan Miller, Jenna explores a provocative side of her acting as she seduces her way into Miller’s mind. And this only began in a creative writing class in high school.
Miller’s Girl offers a lens over blurred boundaries between personas of power and helplessness. The apparent age gap between the two main characters is just one of the catalysts of their complicated relationship.
Watch Jenna as Cairo in Miller’s Girl on Apple TV+ and Netflix.
Pheobe in The Babysitter: Killer Queen
It’s not over yet for Cole (Judah Lewis), who just got out of a babysitting mess with a bunch of teen undead cultists. Cole’s high school friends are after him this time, after making the same deal with the devil from The Babysitter (2017).
Mysterious Phoebe, played by Jenna, becomes an unlikely companion in Cole’s distressing moments, escaping his buddies who are out to sacrifice him to… Satan?
Watch Jenna as Phoebe in The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020) on Netflix.
Bonus: Harley Diaz in Stuck in the Middle
If you’re up for reliving a bit of pre-2020s Disney Channel nostalgia, Stuck in the Middle could be next on your list. Considered as Jenna’s breakout role, the show navigates the life of middle child Harley Diaz with her large family of nine.
Harley is a whiz at inventing gadgets with a knack for solving day-to-day family hiccups. The show ended after three seasons, with the last episode revolving around Harley’s 15th birthday, titled Stuck in Harley’s Quinceañera.
Watch Jenna as Harley in Stuck in the Middle on Disney+.
Excited to see more of Jenna Ortega? It’s time to start the countdown before Wednesday‘s season 3 now that you’ve got quite a list of her iconic roles to date. Let us know your favorite from our top seven!
Source: @jennaortega (official Instagram), Disney Channel (official YouTube channel), Disney Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, Netflix, Lionsgate, A24, Paramount Pictures
