Jenna Ortega: The Wednesday Actor Embraces Her Mexican and Puerto Rican Roots (2024)

Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ features the talented Jenna Ortega in the leading role of Wednesday Addams. Given the popularity that is enjoyed by ‘The Addams Family,’ playing one of the most prominent and beloved characters is surely a hard job. However, Jenna’s performance as the gothic daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams has been praised by many. The horror comedy is far from Jenna’s first time as an actress, and her work has certainly helped her gain a large number of fans. Naturally, many in public are eager to know more about the talented artist, and we are here to explore the same!

Exploring Jenna Ortega’s Latina Ethnicity

Jenna Ortega hails from Coachella Valley in California. The actress has a diverse heritage and takes pride in her culture. “I am 75 percent Mexican and 25 percent Puerto Rican. My great-grandma on my mother’s side migrated from a small ranch near Sinaloa, Mexico. She came to the United States as an illegal immigrant in hopes of making a better life for her four daughters,” she shared with PopSugar. “My father is 100 percent Mexican, but his family moved to California generations before he was born,” Jenna added.

Using her status as a public figure, Jenna is known to talk openly about social issues that she feels strongly about. The topic of immigration is especially personal for her, and she abhors the discrimination that usually follows immigrants and their children. “It’s important to embrace your culture today because there are so many different ethnicities in America,” Jenna shared with Teen Vogue in 2016.

The ‘Wednesday’ star is also known for her philanthropic ventures and has helped raise money for cancer patients. In 2020, the actress was enlisted as a brand ambassador for Neutrogena, something that delighted her very much. Additionally, Jenna has been vocal about her stance on the issue of abortion and strongly condemned the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 by the US Supreme Court. She has also shown her support for organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Jenna Ortega’s Profession

From the young age of six, Jenna became interested in the field of acting. Her parents, especially her mother, were highly supportive of this and even took the help of different agents to open up any possible paths. The efforts paid off when Jenna started receiving auditions at the age of 8, leading her to ultimately play a minor role in ‘Rob’ in 2012. In the same year, she was also cast in ‘CSI: NY’ as Aimee Moore. Her first ever film appearance came in 2013 in the form of ‘Iron Man 3’ in which she acted as the daughter of the Vice President of the US. 2013 also saw her star in ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ as Annie.

Over the years, Jenna has worked in different genres of movies and shows. Her performance as the younger version of Jane Villanueva in ‘Jane the Virgin’ was certainly notable. Additionally, she has been a part of ‘Richie Rich,’ ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ and ‘You,’ along with several voice roles. Her excellent work in ‘Scream’ and ‘X’ also allowed her to become known as a scream queen. In fact, she even won the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards for Most Frightened Performance thanks to her portrayal of Tara Carpenter in ‘Scream.’ However, Jenna strives to keep her work portfolio diversified and not become typecasted.

Fans of ‘The Fallout‘ have also expressed their appreciation for Jenna’s acting as Vada Cavell in the 2021 movie. The California native is also slated to appear in ‘Scream 6.’ Over the years, Jenna has been nominated for and won several awards. She was up for the award for Best Young Actor – Television by Imagen Awards in 2016 for her part in ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ and ended up winning the award in 2018. She also won the Best Children’s Programming award by Imagen Awards in 2018 for ‘Elena of Avalor.’

Jenna Ortega’s Dating Life And Relationship Rumors

As of writing, Jenna Ortega does not seem to be dating anyone. Given the long years within the entertainment industry, Jenna has been linked with many people, including Asher Angel, Jacob Sartorius, and Isaak Presley. The speculations mainly came from her apparent closeness with the mentioned people. While Jenna has certainly been on good terms with the three guys and worked with them at one point or another, she has always stated that her bond with them has been nothing but friendly.

When it comes to her personal life, Jenna likes to keep the details out of the public eye. It seems that the actress is mainly motivated towards flourishing her career as an artist and is certainly making huge waves within the entertainment industry. Her fans are certainly eager to see what the actress has in store for the future, and we wish her the best for the same!

Read More: Movies Like The Addams Family

Jenna Ortega: The Wednesday Actor Embraces Her Mexican and Puerto Rican Roots (2024)

FAQs

Is Wednesday Addams half hispanic? ›

While discussing her version of Wednesday Addams in a Netflix featurette, Jenna Ortega shared how important it was for her as an actor of both Mexican and Puerto Rican descent to represent her character's Latine heritage. "Wednesday is technically a Latina character and that's never been represented," Ortega stated.

What is Jenna Ortega's nationality? ›

Jenna Ortega (born September 27, 2002, Coachella Valley, California, U.S.) is an American actress who began her career as a child actor, starring in such Disney Channel shows as Stuck in the Middle (2016–18), and later went on to gain international fame with the lead role in the hit Netflix series Wednesday (2022– ).

Are Jenna Ortega's parents immigrants? ›

Edward was born in California, but his parents are from Mexico. The actress's mother was born in California to Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants.

Is Jenna Ortega an A-list celebrity? ›

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and Anyone but You's Glen Powell are among the top 10 young Hollywood A-list stars named by The Hollywood Reporter.

Is the Addams family Puerto Rican? ›

Are The Addams Family Confirmed to Be Hispanic? Yes, they are! It was first brought up in "Art and the Addams Family," aired on December 18th, 1964. Gomez is depicted in this episode as someone of Castilian extraction and Spanish ancestry.

Is the Addams family white or Hispanic? ›

He is depicted as being of Castilian extraction and Spanish ancestry, which was first brought up in "Art and the Addams Family" on December 18, 1964; in the episode, Gomez says his "ancestral land" is Spain and Morticia refers to him as a "mad Castilian."

Is Jenna Ortega's mom Puerto Rican? ›

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.

Is Jenna Ortega's dad Mexican? ›

Jenna Ortega's dad, Edward Ortega, is of Mexican descent and ensures that his family follows all the Latin traditions. He is a businessman with an associate degree and strongly supports his actress daughter's career choices. Since 2022, he has kept his Instagram account private.

Who cuts Jenna Ortega's hair? ›

For her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Jenna's hairstylist Dave Stanwell showed off a new haircut that was essentially a fresh take on the wolf cut, saying, “Today we did a thang ✂️.” The choppy layers with shorter mullet-style pieces in the front and thick bangs gave the look an additional feral ...

What race is Jenna? ›

The daughter of mixed Mexican and Puerto Rican parents, Ortega makes it very clear to her audience that she is proud of her heritage and grateful for having the opportunity to share her culture with the world.

Is Jenna Ortega a twin? ›

Edward and Natalie's first child, Isaac, was born in 1998, followed by Mariah in 1999, and Mia in 2000. Jenna was born in 2002, and her younger twin siblings Aliyah and Markus were born in 2004.

Who is Jenna Ortega's crush? ›

and you won't believe who it is! When a fan asked Jenna her crush on Instagram Live, she was resisting it first and didn't want to say it. But then her fans convinced her. and she said James Marsden.

Is Jenna Ortega Jennifer Garner's daughter? ›

Celebrity doppelgängers are a thing, guys, not to mention nepo babies who look like their parents – it's a thing called Hollywood DNA, don't you know? But what happens when the two collide? Well, Jennifer Garner and Jenna Ortega, two completely unrelated A-List actors, just demonstrated.

Was Jenna Ortega on Disney? ›

For Disney, she portrayed Harley Diaz in Stuck in the Middle and voiced Princess Isabel in Elena of Avalor. She also played the Vice President's Daughter in Iron Man 3 and Izzy in Bizaardvark.

What is Wednesday Addams' ethnicity? ›

The Addams have been Latino for as long as they've been around. Her dad's name is friggin Gomez... sure they're technically not of any race since their "outcasts" but it's always been implied they were Latino.

What nationality is the new Wednesday? ›

Who is Jenna Ortega - the 'new' Wednesday Addams actress? Jenna Ortega is a 20-year-old actress from Coachella Valley, California, born on 27 September 2002. Her father is Mexican American and her mother is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.

Does Gomez Addams have a Spanish accent? ›

Gomez finds himself trapped between his daughter and his wife, being forced to hide Wednesday's big secret from Morticia. He has great comedic timing and is a strong dancer. Spanish accent is a plus! The beautiful, leggy and mysterious head of the Addams family who believes strongly in family tradition.

What are the Addams Family characters in Spanish? ›

Uncle Fester = Tío Fétido (Spain), Tío Lucas (Latin America) Pugsley Addams = Pericles (Latin America) Wednesday Addams = Miércoles (Spain), Merlina (Latin America) Grandmama = Abuela Addams.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duncan Muller

Last Updated:

Views: 5568

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duncan Muller

Birthday: 1997-01-13

Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

Phone: +8555305800947

Job: Construction Agent

Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.