Jenna Ortega

Jenna Marie Ortega[2] (born September 27, 2002[1]) is an American actress. She first became known for her role as Young Jane on The CW romantic comedy-drama series Jane the Virgin (2014–19). She then received recognition for her role as Harley Diaz on the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle (2016–18), for which she won an Imagen Award in 2018.

Jenna Ortega
Ortega in a promotional message for ATTN: to prevent the Coronavirus in 2020
Born
Jenna Marie Ortega

(2002-09-27) September 27, 2002[1]
Coachella Valley, California[1]
OccupationActress
Years active2012–present
Signature

Ortega has since starred as Ellie Alves on the Netflix thriller series You (2019), voiced Princess Isabel on the Disney Channel animated series Elena of Avalor (2016–2020), and currently voices Brooklyn on the Netflix animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–present).[3][4] Her works in film include starring as Annie in the supernatural horror film Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), as Mary Ann in the direct-to-video film The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014), as Dawn in the drama film Saving Flora (2018), and as Phoebe in the Netflix film The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020).

Aside from acting, Ortega has been noted for her activism as well as her public image, being listed first on PopSugar's "20 Under 20" list in 2020.[5] She is also known for her fashion sense, and is registered across various social media, being an active internet personality.[6]

Early life

Jenna Ortega was born on September 27, 2002 in Coachella Valley, California, the fourth of six children.[1] Ortega's father is of Mexican American descent and her mother is of Mexican and Puerto Rican ancestry.[7][8]

Career

Ortega had become interested in acting from the age of six.[9] By the age of eight, with her mother's help and agents, she eventually began receiving auditions,[4] and soon made her acting debut in 2012 with a guest appearance for Rob, in the episode "Baby Bug."[10] Following this was an appearance on CSI: NY on the episode "Unspoken" as Aimee Moore.[11] In 2013, she made her film debut with a minor role in the superhero movie Iron Man 3 as the vice president's daughter. Following this, Ortega starred in the horror film Insidious: Chapter 2, the third film of the Insidious franchise, as Annie, a supporting role. Both films were successful at the box-office.[12][13]

In 2014, Ortega had a recurring role on the series Rake, playing Zoe Leon. In the same year, she was cast in the recurring role of the younger version of Jane on the romantic-drama series Jane the Virgin throughout the entirety of the show's run.[14] In the same year, she starred as Mary Ann in the direct-to-video comedy film The Little Rascals Save the Day. In the year following, Ortega was cast for the Netflix original series Richie Rich as part of the main cast, playing Darcy, Richie's best friend.[15] Her character was a gold digger, that would spend Richie's money even without his consent. The show was panned, overall attaining generally negative reviews.[16][17] In the same year, she appeared in the film After Words as Anna Chapa.[18]

From 2016 to 2018,[19] Ortega then went on to star on the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle as Harley Diaz, the lead role of the show, the character being the middle child of the seven Diaz siblings, throughout the show's run.[20] The show was well received, and Ortega received an Imagen Award for her performance, as well as being nominated for two others.[21][22] In the same year, she joined the cast on Disney's Elena of Avalor, as the voice of Princess Isabel, which ended in 2020.[23] The show was well received, and she earned another Imagen Award nomination in 2019.[22] In 2017, she starred in the music video for the single "Chapstick", which was performed by and also stars Jacob Sartorius.[24] In the video, Ortega played Sartorius's love interest, which managed to gain significant media coverage.[25]

In 2018, Ortega starred in the film Saving Flora as the lead role of Dawn, the daughter of a circus owner.[26][27][28] The film received positive reviews from critics, and Ortega received praise for her performance. She received a nomination for Best Lead Actress at the Southampton International Film Festival.[29] In January 2019, Ortega had been cast in the main role of Ellie Alves, the sister of Delilah Alves, on the second season of the Netflix thriller series You, which was released on December 26, 2019.[30][31][32] In You, her character is a smart and meddling girl who likes to act older than her true age.[33] The season, alike to the show's first season, was praised as well as Ortega's performance.[34][35] In 2019, Ortega was cast in the Netflix horror film The Babysitter: Killer Queen;[36] the film was released in September 2020,[37][38] and received mixed reviews from critics.[39]

In 2020, Ortega voiced Brooklyn in the Netflix animated series Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous.[40] The series was met with mixed reviews, although praise went towards Ortega's voicing and the rest of the cast.[41] The series was renewed for a second season, slated to release in 2021.[42] In 2020, Ortega announced that she would make her writing debut with the book It's All Love, which was released in January 2021.[43][44] She will next star as a main role in the upcoming-comedy movie Yes Day.[45] In February 2020, it was announced that she will lead the upcoming high-school drama film The Fallout.[46] In August 2020, Ortega was cast in an undisclosed role on the upcoming slasher film Scream,[35][47] which will be released on January 14, 2022.[48][49] On her role, she stated that "I don't even think there are words in the English language to correctly express how happy, excited and nervous I am for this journey. It's just so amazing to me."[50]

Public image

In the media

Ortega uses her platforms on social media to promote support towards immigrants and politics involving them.[51] Her fashion sense has received significant attention, with many praising her for her various attire and her general outlook, and in 2020 the magazine Hola! dubbed her the "red carpet darling" in recognition of her style.[52] In 2020, Ortega was listed first on a list of PopSugar's "20 Under 20: Young Women Who Are Already Kicking Ass and Taking Names".[53]

In 2018, at the Radio Disney Music Awards, Ortega wore a jacket, which displayed the words "I Do Care And U Should Too" in response to first lady Melania Trump's apparel when she went to visit immigrant children who were being housed without their parents, which said "I Really Don't Care. Do U?".[51] The stand gained significant media coverage. Ortega told Forbes: "I remember I was going through the news on my phone and I saw what Melania wore on the way to visit the immigrant children. I was so deeply offended and right there at that moment I knew what I wanted my statement to be..."

In 2020, Ortega was named a brand ambassador for Neutrogena.[54] On becoming an ambassador, she told Hola!: "“I could not be more ecstatic. I say it over and over, but it really is such a surreal feeling, especially with such an iconic brand, that I have looked up to for such a long time."

Philanthropy

Ortega is a supporter of Pride Over Prejudice, a campaign that promotes acceptance towards the LGBT community.[5] She has also stated that she is against anti-immigration and discrimination.[55] Ortega told Teen Vogue: “It’s important to embrace your culture today because there are so many different ethnicities in America. At the end of the day, you are you. You’ve got to stay true to yourself, and you can’t change yourself in order to fit in or to make someone else feel comfortable.”[55]

In 2016, Ortega organized a meet and greet for fans to raise money for a young girl with cancer.[56] Across 2019, Ortega appeared at numerous WE Day concerts across the United States and Canada to benefit WE Charity.[57]

Artistry

Influences
Ortega has cited her Jane The Virgin co-star Gina Rodriguez as an inspiration.

Ortega cites actress Gina Rodriguez, whom she worked with on the television drama Jane The Virgin, as one of her major influences.[58] She stated that she admires Rodriguez for her story being similar to hers, and for her efforts and ability.[59] Ortega told magazine Latina in 2016: "I look up to Gina Rodriguez because, like me, she did not have a connection to the business, we are both Latinas who do not come from money and did not have an easy way in. She speaks openly about the challenges of being a Latina actress and how Latin actors are not represented on screen the way they should be. She has proven that hard work pays off, and I admire that."

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2013 Iron Man 3 Vice President's daughter
2013 Insidious: Chapter 2 Annie
2014 The Little Rascals Save the Day Mary Ann
2015 After Words Anna Chapa [18]
2018 Saving Flora Dawn
2020 The Babysitter: Killer Queen Phoebe Atwell Direct-to-streaming film
2022 Scream TBA Post-production[60]
TBA Yes Day Katie Torres Post-production[45]
TBA The Fallout Vada Post-production[61]

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Rob Girl Episode: "The Baby Bug"[10]
2012 CSI: NY Aimee Moore Episode: "Unspoken"[11]
2014 Rake Zoe Leon Recurring role
2014–2019 Jane the Virgin Young Jane Villanueva (age 12) Recurring role; 27 episodes
2015 Richie Rich Darcy Main role
2016–2018 Stuck in the Middle Harley Diaz Lead role
2016–2020 Elena of Avalor Princess Isabel Main voice role[62]
2016 Elena and the Secret of Avalor Princess Isabel Voice role; television film
2018 Bizaardvark Izzy Episode: "The BFF (Before Frankie Friend)"
2019–2020 Big City Greens Gabriella Espinosa Voice role; 2 episodes
2019 You Ellie Alves Main role (season 2)[30]
2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride Princess Buttercup Episode: "The Fire Swamp"
2020–present Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Brooklynn Main voice role[40]

Music video

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Refs
2016 Imagen Awards Best Young Actor – Television Stuck in the Middle Nominated [63]
2018 Imagen Awards Best Young Actor – Television Stuck in the Middle Won [64]
2018 Southampton International Film Festival Best Lead Actress in a Feature Saving Flora Nominated [29]
2019 Imagen Awards Best Young Actor – Television Stuck in the Middle Nominated [22]
Best Young Actor – Television Elena of Avalor Nominated [22]

References
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  3. Lewis, Andy (March 3, 2016). "Sneak Peak: Disney's First Latina Princess Gets a Book". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 19, 2016. On the animated show, Aimee Carrero of Freeform's Young & Hungry voices Elena. Others doing voices include Jane the Virgin's Jenna Ortega, Saturday Night Live's Chris Parnell and Community's Yvette Nicole Brown.
  4. Rodriguez, Priscilla (April 15, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Ortega on 'Stuck in the Middle' and Why Gina Rodriguez is Her Idol". Latina. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
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