In her relatively short life so far, Jenna Ortega already looks set for taking Hollywood by storm.
Sinceher acting careerbegan when she was a child, Ortega has already hit several major career milestones.
And by the sounds of things, these career highs are just the beginning for the young actress.
So how has Ortega manage to achieve all of this at such a young age?
Curious to find out more about her journey?
Here is the stunning transformation of Jenna Ortega.
Being the middle child, as Ortega put it, was “actually pretty cool.”
She went on, “Middle children get away with more stuff in general.”
However, when it came to language, things were a little different in her family.
As she once explained in an essay forPopSugar, she is 75% Mexican and 25% Puerto Rican.
Apparently, her father is 100% Mexican, but he doesn’t speak Spanish fluently.
Sounds like an interesting situation!
For Ortega, her Hispanic heritage is an important part of her identity.
In a2016 specialfor the Disney Channel, Ortega introduced her Hispanic family.
“I’m very proud of where I come from.
I was always brought up with certain traditions from Mexico,” her mom explained.
Sounds like Ortega has always been very in touch with her roots!
“Right before then, I wanted to be everything,” she explained.
“If we were learning about astronomy in class, then I wanted to be an astronaut.”
In another interview withYSBnow, Ortega explained how it all happened.
But two years later, Ortega was still just as determined as ever.
She posted a video of the young Ortega on Facebook.
Jenna Ortega started getting TV work
Pretty soon, Jenna Ortega started getting professional acting work.
Her big break came in 2014 when she played young Jane onJane the Virgin.
“They are all so amazing.
They are the sweetest and nicest people,” she gushed.
At the time, she didn’t realize the role would be so important in defining her career.
Luckily, the role led to some pretty big things.
Even avid Marvel fans may have missed Ortega’s appearance in the film.
While the role is admittedly small, it’s still a pretty amazing first movie gig.
Talk about making an iconic entrance to the world of Hollywood!
As Ortega explained toGrumpy Magazine, she had always wanted to be on the Disney Channel.
In fact, it had been her goal.
The audition process was a long one.
Initially, the lead character on ‘Stuck in the Middle’ was a blonde girl called Hillary.
Despite that, when Ortega auditioned, she got the role.
“That was definitely a journey,” Ortega recalled.
“When I found out that I booked it, I cried.
“It all seems so unreal,” she confessed.
It’s a new journey.”
What with her Disney show and other projects, she barely had time for “real life.”
With that, her new life began.
She added, “Also, I always put my family first.
Whenever I’m at home I make a run at hang out with them.”
Ortega spent so much time filming through the years, that she evengraduated from high school on set!
However, when she started out, she was just like any other teen.
“I try my best to spread positivity,” she said.
As she later put it toForbes,“There is no excuse to not speak up.”
Later that same year, she landed a role in the animated Disney series “Elena of Avalor.”
I love it."
Unlike her previous roles, this one was animated.
Sounds like Ortega learned some real technical skills with this job!
The cute video featured Sartrorius and Ortega running around New York City.
Sounds like Ortega had a blast filming the video!
Ortega played Ellie Alves, a spunky teen who befriends Joe.
As she explained toTeen Vogue, the role gave her a new throw in of filming experience.
As the actress explained in an interview withInsider, Badgley ended up teaching her a lot during the shoot.
“You know, that man is so incredibly smart,” she gushed.
Apparently, the actor gave her tips on activism and education, as well as memes too!
Plus, she learned a little about acting from the “Gossip Girl” star, too.
Sounds like working with Badgley was an incredibly informative experience for Ortega!
Suffice to say, this actress never sticks with one genre for long!
As she revealed toFaultmagazine, horror has always been on her list of dream genres.
“I told her all of them!!!
But that horror would be a really fun one,” she went on.
She also explained that it was a little intimidating joining such a famous franchise.
Besides taking onmultiple acting projects in 2020 and 2021, she also released her own self-help book.
She also opened up about her mental health struggles and her journey with Hollywood in the book.
In 2021, Ortega spoke toJ-14about the book.
“Being a teenager is tough,” she said.
It’s clear that Ortega is not only a super talented actress, but also an incredibly kind soul.
We can’t wait to see what she does next!
“It became something that was always around in my childhood.”
It seems like her early introduction to skincare has totally paid off.
As Ortega later toldYahoo!
When she saw Melania’s jacket, she knew how to make that statement.
“I worked with my stylist.
While some people online criticized her for getting too political, Ortega didn’t care.
As Ortega toldMovieWeb, she was keen to give the character her own unique spin.
“I knew that I could not be ripping anybody off,” she said.
“She’s a deadpan character.
She’s sarcastic and she’s tough.
I think there are several different paths that I or anyone could have taken to this part.”
According to Ortega, she worked with Burton to give the “emotionless” character a little more depth.
“She’s so good.
She’s so good and so wonderful to work with,” Ricci toldJimmy Fallon.
“And her Wednesday is, like, really an incredible, like, great modern take.”
Her friend, Francia Raisa, had first suggested that Ortega would be a good fit.
“I just fell in love,” Park said.
Instead, Ortega likes to focus on her work as a storyteller.
That being said, Ortega is still appreciative that she’s come this far.
