Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega began her philanthropy at a young age, working with various organizations that support social issues involving LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and more. In 2020, she joined forces with DoSomething.org and Aéropostale for their “Teens for Jeans” campaign. Ortega visited SafeHouse of the Desert, a youth shelter providing services and support for unhoused young people. She sat down with two young individuals and discussed the challenges they face when it comes to education, as well as misconceptions and discrimination they’ve experienced. Sometimes, celebrities can appear performative in their charitable work — but not Ortega. She was genuinely kind and respectful here, keeping the spotlight on their experiences and interests.

One of Ortega’s best qualities is her honesty, especially when it comes to mental health and societal expectations of beauty. While chatting with her former “You” co-star Penn Badgley on his podcast, she opened up about body image and her insecurities. She specifically recounted being teased by a “friend” who cruelly mocked her for having darker arm hair, something she’s said she felt self-conscious about before. The star also discussed her anxieties and how she holds herself to a high standard, as well as her tendency for indecisiveness, overthinking, and being self-critical. Could she be any more relatable?

Jenna Ortega has come a long way from her Disney Channel days, showing she has the range for comedy, drama, and horror. In Ti West’s 2022 slasher “X”, she played Lorraine, a young woman helping her boyfriend shoot an adult film. She wasn’t at the center of the story, but she had one of the most compelling characters in the film. As things take a dark turn, Lorraine gets locked in the basement of a disturbing couple and discovers their horrible secret. Ortega delivers a gut-wrenching scream that perfectly conveys overwhelming terror. This wasn’t her first venture into the horror genre, nor was it her last. Given her serious set of lungs and powerhouse performance, we’re not surprised. All hail the Scream Queen!

As we previously mentioned, Jenna Ortega has raised awareness about various causes since she was young, using her platform to bring attention to social issues. When she attended the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards, she rocked a custom-made jacket that had “I Do Care And U Should Too” printed on the back. It was her answer to the highly controversial attire Melania Trump wore in Texas while going to see immigrant children who were separated from their parents. The Latina actress decided to take a stand and promote a much more loving, forward-thinking message, inspiring and encouraging her generation to do the same.

The 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards gave us an incredible moment with our girl Jenna Ortega and actress Aubrey Plaza. Best known for her role as April Ludgate on NBC’s hit show “Parks and Recreation,” Plaza tends to give off a total Wednesday Addams vibe. Both the actress and the character of April have wonderfully dark humor and deadpan sarcasm. So, pairing her with the actress currently playing Wednesday was sure to produce iconic results. The hilarious duo maintained their stoic faces while sharing the stage, perfectly delivering Wednesday Addams/April Ludgate-levels of gloominess. Will someone please cast them in a movie together already?!

She’s a Scream Queen and Wednesday Addams, so we knew Jenna Ortega had to be pretty strange in the best way – and we love it. But one thing she revealed during her Wired “Autocomplete Interview” left fans a bit concerned. When answering a question regarding her friendship with “The Fallout” co-star Maddie Ziegler, Ortega explained why the two were kindred spirits. She then shared her childhood hobby of dissecting deceased creatures. Now, don’t worry – she didn’t hurt the animals herself. But someone of that age performing makeshift autopsies in their free time isn’t something you hear about every day. Her willingness to share this odd fact just further proves how real she is. We love an unabashed weirdo.

First We Feast’s popular “Hot Ones” series challenges celebrity guests to eat increasingly spicy hot wings while answering Sean Evans’ well-researched questions. Some guests, even the seemingly unbreakable ones, can’t quite make it through the last dab. But Jenna Ortega is one of the rare ones, managing to keep a cool head during the interview. She arguably handled the spice better than Evans, and even willingly took a second bite of the last dab! And she closed out the episode by beating the host at a Wednesday-style staring contest. We know “Hot Ones” always delivers fun interviews, but Ortega’s unbeatable presence made this episode one for the books.

Anyone who watches the “Scream” movies knows that the opening typically involves a death or two. It all began with Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker in the first installment. The 2022 requel of the same name pays homage to that iconic scene with Jenna Ortega’s compelling portrayal of Tara Carpenter. She’s home alone and receives the familiar call from Ghostface, who forces her to play horror movie trivia to save her friend’s life. As we expect, she’s then viciously attacked by the villain. But unlike her predecessors, Tara miraculously survives! It was a nice deviation from the norm and gave us someone to root for right away. And of course, Ortega carried that badass final girl energy into the following installment.

Chances are you’ve heard of a little show called “Wednesday.” Even if you haven’t, you definitely know about its viral dance scene to “Goo Goo Muck” by the Cramps that millions have shared and imitated. We can thank Jenna Ortega for this phenomenon. She not only performed the quirky dance, but also came up with the choreography. Inspired by ‘60s sitcom Wednesday Lisa Loring, Siouxsie Sioux and Bob Fosse, among others, the actress threw together these wonderfully kooky Addams family style moves. Virality wasn’t Ortega’s intention, and she’s probably tired of talking about it by now. But we like to think back to the first time we experienced the scene, and how the actress blew our minds.

2022 was the year of Jenna Ortega, and 2023 is shaping up to be just as busy for the rising star. You know you’ve made it when you’re asked to host “SNL”, and in March 2023, the young star took the show’s famed stage for the first time. She was so stellar we could’ve sworn she was born for the gig! From playing a girl dumping her boyfriend in front of a chaotic Waffle House to portraying a possessed girl undergoing a noisy exorcism, she killed every moment. One notable highlight was the sketch spoofing a remake of “The Parent Trap,” which saw Ortega reuniting with “Wednesday” co-star and “SNL” alum Fred Armisen. More of this, please!