Jenna Ortega is now one of Netflix’s biggest faces, but there was a moment when she nearly walked away from acting altogether. Long before she became Wednesday Addams, she found herself questioning whether she should continue in an industry that suddenly felt uncertain.
At a time when her career was at a crossroads, Ortega seriously considered stepping back for good. But just when things seemed to be winding down, one role came along and completely changed her path.
‘You’ Changed Everything For Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega recently opened up about a career-defining moment, revealing that she seriously considered quitting acting before landing her role in ‘You‘ season 2 in 2019. At that stage, she had just stepped out of child stardom and wasn’t sure what came next.
Speaking on Big Bro hosted by Kid Cudi, Ortega directly reflected on that period, saying, “When I was a teenager, I’d gotten off a children’s show, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had to prove myself and meet all these new casting directors who didn’t know who I was.”
She also admitted that quitting felt like a very real option at the time. Ortega shared, “It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to. I was starting high school, and, ‘it was a good run’ sort of thing.” She added that the idea was not sudden, explaining, “We had talked about it for a few months with my team.”
How The New Role Reignited Ortega’s Career
Everything changed when Ortega landed the role of Ellie Alves in ‘You‘. The psychological thriller gave her the opportunity to step into a more mature space and prove herself in a different way.
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That experience reignited her passion almost instantly. Ortega recalled how much she enjoyed the process, saying, “And then, I think I booked that show ‘You’, and then I went on that set, and I loved it and had the best time.” That moment made her reconsider everything she had been thinking.
She quickly realized she did not want to walk away after all. Ortega said, “I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s no way I could let this go.’” Playing Ellie, the determined neighbor of Joe Goldberg, portrayed by Penn Badgley, helped her gain recognition and opened doors to stronger roles.
Her career gained serious momentum after that breakthrough. She went on to land the lead role in ‘Wednesday‘, where she plays the titular character in Netflix’s adaptation of ‘The Addams Family‘. And in no time, she became a global sensation.
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