Netflix's Wednesday star Jenna Ortega is quickly becoming a well-known face in the horror genre scene. Having started out in Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, Ortega’s sharp turn into a world of blood and gore has surprised and thrilled her long-running fans. But despite it being a very apparent switch from childhood nostalgia to a far more macabre categorization of roles, there are many aspects that she has learned throughout her career that greatly enhance her performance in recent horror movies, and bring some new angles to a sometimes cliché and over-done genre.
One of her most well-known appearances from her younger days was that of the young version of Jane the Virgin, a far cry from the horror roles she has become so well known for nowadays. Jane the Virgin is a Telenovella style drama, filled with fantastical realism, romance, murder mystery, and above all a heart-warming relationship between 3 generations of powerful women as they navigate the challenges of life.
Jenna Ortega’s role in the show is that of an inquisitive and inspired child who sees potential in everything she does, who approaches the world from a place of wonder and passion, and although these traits may seem like opposites to that of the more macabre presentation of her most recent role as horror TV character Wednesday Addams, they are far more similar than they at first appear.
Wednesday is also a young character who approaches the world in a very different way from her peers, and sees possibilities in unusual places. She, too, is surrounded by magic, despite it not being quite the same colorful, glittery version as young Jane Villanueva. Nevertheless, playing characters like Jane allowed Jenna Ortega to bring a sense of wonder to her horror roles, and informed the ways in which her horror characters think outside the box.
The same can be said for her role in popular Netflix thriller series You, which was one of her earlier ventures into the dark and sinister world of horror. You tells the story of Joe Goldberg, a seemingly charming soft-spoken love interest, whose obsession with the object of his desire very quickly leads him to murder. Ortega plays Ellie Alves, a plucky and independent teenager whose aspirations in the film industry get her into some dangerous situations, but unbeknownst to her, being involved with Joe Goldberg will become the most dangerous situation of all.
When Ellie’s older sister Delilah is murdered by Goldberg’s romantic interest Love, Ellie is forced to face the trauma that the death of her last remaining relative brings, and must suddenly flee to a different city and learn to fend for herself. This role brought out the vulnerable side of Ortega’s acting skills, highlighting the terror and the survival instincts that kick in when the unthinkable happens.
Her time on You helped to inform Ortega’s roles in the Scream movies, and in the iconic X, in which she brings a brilliant mix of naivety and innocence when things first go wrong, and versatility which allows her characters to adapt and survive in some of the most brutal scenarios.
Both Scream and X are adrenaline-fueled races for survival against a terrifying enemy in the night, which is a very different type of horror from her role as Wednesday Adams, but all three of these portrayals show her increasing willingness to dedicate herself to paying homage to the old classics of the genre, whilst also pioneering new angles for the future. From her research into the obnoxious characters of slasher movies for X to her 80's Gothic dance choreography on Wednesday, Ortega proves time and time again that she can bring alive well-loved tropes as well as making some much-needed Gen-Z upgrades.
Overall, Jenna Ortega’s acting journey has become increasingly more macabre, but through her gradual transition from Disney star to up-and-coming scream queen, she has learned to encompass many skills that really bring the horror genre to life, including how to embody the suspense and the tension that a horror film so desperately needs in order to keep its audience hooked, but also how to balance this out with a sense of excitement and fun.
The energy she brings to her movies really hits that fine line between impactful moments that have audiences on the edge of their seats, and those moments in between where the characters don’t take themselves too seriously, because it’s the rise and falls within horror films that keep viewers engaged. If they were all suspense and no relief, the scary moments would have less impact, and Jena Ortega swiftly and adeptly transitions from one to the other, bringing a real sense of life and authenticity to her horror roles.