Few young actors today are as prominently featured in the spotlight as Jenna Ortega, but what do we know about the thespian’s past?
Jenna Ortega may have started out as a child star and appeared in numerous television shows and high-profile flicks — including The CW’s Jane the Virgin and Iron Man 3 — but it was ultimately Tim Burton’s Wednesday that catapulted her career to these enviable heights.
Indeed, Ortega is the latest up-and-coming performer to completely dominate the pop culture landscape, and her Emmy, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild nominations for the role of the Goth teenage high-schooler are just one testament to how much she truly deserves this status.
Ortega’s fans know that her real-life personality isn’t inconsistent with Wednesday, dry and dark humor being the least of how she channels the infamous Addams daughter in interviews and other public outlets. But did you know that, like the fictional Addams, Ortega is also of mixed heritage? Here’s everything we know about the actor’s ethnicity.
Where do Jenna Ortega and her parents hail from?
Jenna Ortega was born in Palm Dessert, California. She is a member of a large family, being the fourth of her parents’ six children. Jenna’s Mexican father is a sheriff working at the district attorney’s office, while her Mexican-Puerto Rican mother works as an emergency nurse.
According to an article published by Glamour magazine in late 2022, quoting Jenna herself, her great-grandmother was an illegal immigrant from Mexico. She considers herself 75 percent Mexican and 25 percent Puerto Rican, saying, “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 to make a better life for her four daughters.”
Her mixed heritage is one of the reasons Jenna took on the role of Wednesday in the Netflix series. In another interview with Elle, Ortega said that her extensive TV portfolio made her reluctant to accept any other major roles, but Wednesday’s similar descent persuaded her.
“I wasn’t looking to do TV again, but a big part of the reason why I said yes is because of the representation factor. I know the feeling of growing up and not being able to relate to the people onscreen or never really seeing myself,” she explained. “It’s really important that her history as a young Latina was shown for the first time — the heritage being shown as normal. It’s nice that there are hints and touches of her heritage there, but it’s not overwhelming. That’s the way life should be.”
As of now, Ortega is set to appear in the upcoming second season of Wednesday, contrary to the fresh rumors that state otherwise.