When we think of the new generation of Hollywood stars, names like Zendaya, Tom Holland, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Timothée Chalamet, and Florence Pugh come to mind. And, of course, Jenna Ortega.
Ortega is trending once again thanks to her role in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice(2024), the sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton classic, where she shares the screen with stars like Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, and Monica Bellucci.
This isn’t Ortega’s first time blending horror and comedy, which makes her presence all the more intriguing to her millions of fans. In fact, during the promotional tour for her latest film, Ortega had a touching moment that highlighted her roots.
This is one of the common questions people have about Jenna Ortega. There seems to be an ongoing debate about what it means to be ‘Latino.’ According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term specifically refers to «of or relating to the peoples or countries of Latin America.»
Ortega was born in Palm Desert, California. However, she does have Latino heritage and surnames: her mother has Mexican and Puerto Rican roots, while her father is of Mexican descent.
In a recent interview, Jenna was visibly moved when Latina journalist Gabriela Reynoso, during a Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice junket, affirmed her identity: «Jenna, I just wanted to tell you, from one Latina to another, that you are Latina enough. I don’t care what anyone says, especially someone in the industry. Like you opened so many doors for people like me», she asserted. This made Jenna emotional, and with a shy smile, she got up to hug the journalist.which clearly touched the actress.
Ortega began her acting career as a child, gaining recognition for her role as Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin (2014-2019). Her profile grew significantly with her role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle (2016-2018). She has also made notable appearances in Netflix productions You (2019) and Yes Day (2021).
Ortega is also known for her role in the teen drama The Fallout (2021) and movies like Scream and X (2022) and Scream VI, which marked her entry into the horror genre. Her global fame skyrocketed with her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the horror-comedy Wednesday, earning her nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Jenna Ortega, Martin Freeman, and ‘Miller’s Girl’ Controversy
This year, one of the most discussed topics about Ortega has been her role in the thriller Miller’s Girl. The film has generated as much controversy as its co-star, Martin Freeman, who has previously faced criticism for his comments on child abuse, multiculturalism, and jokes about sexual violence.
In Miller’s Girl, Ortega explores eroticism on screen like never before. The film is defined by the sexual and emotional tension between a university professor and his student. A passion for writing becomes a power game that goes beyond academics.
The script, which had previously been blacklisted in Hollywood for its controversial subject matter, was salvaged by debut director Jade Halley Bartlett.
Critics haven’t been kind to the film, calling it «a joke,» «pretentious,» and «awful.» However, opinions are mixed. CNN describes it as “a sort-of psychological, semi-erotic drama that, despite its literary pretensions, possesses roughly the intellectual heft of a perfume ad. Dated and creepy in all the wrong ways, it’s a movie that might have escaped derision in the 1980s but deserves to get slapped around today.” Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times notes, “The movie strikes that wild, so-bad-it’s-entertaining chord vigorously. I can’t recommend Miller’s Girl but I also can’t recommend it enough.»
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