Jenna Ortega just wants to pet a cow. Or at least, that’s what she told Harper’s Bazaar in a recent cover story published May 28, 2025. If she had her way, she would’ve spent the summer after Wednesday’s explosive success on a farm in Iceland, helping with lambs and learning how to fish. Instead? She was filming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Tim Burton in London.

That tension—between a quietly rebellious 22-year-old and the global icon the internet has made her into—is exactly what Ortega is working through in real time. As she told Harper’s Bazaar, the pressure, fame, and social media noise nearly drowned her. But now, she’s finally stepping into her power, on her own terms.

Jenna Ortega is growing up in public—and calling it what it is

“I’m doing a show I’m going to be doing for years where I play a schoolgirl. But I’m also a young woman,” Ortega told Harper’s Bazaar. It’s a simple statement, but it captures the contradiction at the heart of her career. She’s the face of Wednesday, a hit Netflix show about an outcast teen—but in real life, she’s reckoning with what it means to be seen as more than that.

Since her Disney Channel days on Stuck in the Middle and her breakout role as young Jane on Jane the Virgin, Ortega’s been navigating the unique double-bind of child stardom. And though she’s long moved past those roles, she’s found that Hollywood—and audiences—can be slow to adjust. “There’s just something about it that’s very patronizing,” she said. “Also, when you’re short, people are already physically looking down on you.”

From Disney kid to scream queen to serious actress

Ortega, who grew up in Coachella Valley, started acting at nine. After a string of early TV gigs, she starred in a wave of horror hits like Scream, X, Studio 666, and American Carnage, gaining a reputation as Gen Z’s scream queen. But what she really wanted was range.

She turned down Wednesday multiple times—afraid that a show commitment would lock her out of film roles. But after a Zoom with Burton (while wearing a prosthetic head, no less), she filmed an extra take in her bathroom and realized, as she told the magazine, “I think I’m stuck, because I really love this girl.”

Jenna Ortega isn’t just an actress—she’s also a producer now

Being cast as Wednesday was a double-edged sword. Ortega admitted she wasn’t in a great place after Season 1. “To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person,” she said. As someone who identifies as introverted, the attention and pressure felt overwhelming.

That’s why producing Season 2 of Wednesday has been such a turning point. “I sit in on meetings and listen and learn. I’m still finding my footing in that area,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. And she’s using her position to advocate for younger cast members—something she wished she’d had early on.

The Wednesday effect: How Jenna Ortega is redefining pop stardom

Ortega knows Wednesday changed her image. She took up cello, learned to fence, and embraced a darker, more Gothic aesthetic. But she also knows the irony of her character becoming a pop culture icon. “She’s an outsider, but now she’s on mugs, cereal boxes, and T-shirts,” she said. “You’re just thinking, Oh, man, she would hate this.”

And that’s part of the struggle. “In a strange way, I feel like I’ve become a pop actor—and that’s something I never saw for myself,” Ortega said.

Growing pains, growing confidence

Still, Ortega’s growth is clear. She’s been open about struggling with anxiety, grinding through her Invisalign at night, and the emotional toll of fame. But she’s also finding ways to heal. She’s taken up painting, started Transcendental Meditation, and even briefly raised chinchillas (yes, really) while filming Season 2 in Ireland.

Her takeaway? Wisdom isn’t about age. It’s about reflection. “It really irks me when people say, ‘Oh, you don’t understand. You’re so young,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “Because if you’re not open to the experiences that you’re having and you’re not willing to learn from your mistakes… you’re choosing to be a bystander.”

Jenna Ortega knows she’s not Wednesday—but she’s also not here to please you

“I feel like being a bully is very popular right now,” Ortega said, reflecting on her experiences being misunderstood online. She’s been through the rumor mill and come out more grounded. “Having been on the wrong side of the rumor mill was incredibly eye-opening.”

Now, she’s trying to find the sweet spot between giving her audience what they love and choosing projects that fulfill her. “I want to be able to give back to [my audience],” she said. “But I also want to do things that are creatively fulfilling to me.”

What comes next? Roles that are “older and bolder and different,” she said. And whatever they are, she won’t be asking for permission first.

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