The original version of this article was written by Jess Bacon and published on 2 September 2024.
Though Jenna Ortega had been consistently acting since she was eight years old, the one-time child star skyrocketed to mainstream fame in 2022 with her mesmerising performance as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix smash-hit TV series, Wednesday. That role has been the cherry on top of an already impressive career that has, thus far, contained fan favourite streaming hits, horror gems, and indie darlings.
With Wednesday Season 2 doing huge numbers for Netflix, and with 2026 looking like a landmark year for the young actress (with starring roles in both J.J. Abrams’ comeback feature, Ghostwriter, and opposite Glen Powell in Taika Waititi’s Clara and the Sun), it feels like the perfect time to look back on the performances that got her here, which we’ve listed below in chronological order. Read on to discover more and use the guide below to find out where to find them on platforms like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
Jane the Virgin (2014-2019)
Ortega started as a child star in comedy-drama series, playing Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle and, more memorable still, appearing as the young Jane in Jane the Virgin. The show focuses on Jane (Gina Rodriguez), a devout catholic who accidentally gets pregnant after a routine visit to a gynaecologist. Ortega, who was 11 at the time of the first season’s shoot, plays Jane in flashbacks.
Thematically, it explores the mother-daughter dynamics in an American/Latinx family, so if you’re a fan of Ugly Betty or even In The Heights, you’ll probably get right into it.
You (2019)
From those early roles, Ortega went on to star in a host of Netflix productions, appearing in the family-friendly comedy Yes Day in 2021 after gaining attention for playing the role of Ellie Alves, Joe’s next-door neighbour, in Season 2 of the hit thriller series You.
Told from the POV of a stalker, this is a show that delights in putting its audience in morally grey areas, so if you enjoy series like Dexter and Hannibal, you’ll probably be into it. After Season 2, Ellie became a firm fan favourite and was rumoured to be reappearing in Season 5–only for Wednesday to come along and push the actress to a different level of stardom.
The Fallout (2021)
Released to rave reviews at the SXSW film festival in 2021, The Fallout is one of Jenna Ortega’s most critically acclaimed movies. It focuses on the aftermath of a school shooting, so if that subject matter is difficult for you, it might be better to try a different title on this list.
If you do decide to watch it, you’ll be enthralled by Ortega's performance opposite Maddie Ziegler as a young woman suffering from survivor’s guilt who falls for one of her classmates (Ziegler). This is one for fans of indies that explore heavy themes, like the excellent Beach Rats and Palm Trees and Power Lines.
Scream (2022)
It didn’t take long for Jenna Ortega to become a certified scream queen. In 2013, she had her first brush with big-screen horror when she appeared in Insidious: Chapter 2, but the actress really became a certified Scream queen when she starred in the long-running franchise in 2022.
Despite the name, Ortega’s Scream is actually the fifth instalment in the series, but as legacy reboots go, this is actually one of the better ones. Lovers of the original trilogy, or the underrated I Know What You Did Last Summer remake, should know it’s well worth checking out. Set 25 years after the original Woodsboro murders, it also features Melissa Barrera and Jack Quaid alongside legacy actors like Courteney Cox.
X (2022)
Ti West’s X is the first in a great modern horror trilogy that the director released in quick succession between 2022 and 2024. If you happen to have already seen Pearl or Maxxxine, you’ll want to go back and check this one out.
Ortega only appears in a supporting role, playing the ingenue to Mia Goth’s lead, but she makes the most of her screentime. The story, which pays loving homage to ‘70s exploitation classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, follows a crew of porn filmmakers who decide to shoot in a location where they really shouldn’t.
Scream VI (2023)
In 2023, Ortega confirmed her place as a horror final girl by coming back in Scream VI, the follow-up to the legacy sequel. Similar to what we mentioned above, this one will delight Scream devotees—it has all the movie references and nerdy cinephile stuff that fans of the franchise have always appreciated.
The plot is a classic of the genre, and somewhat similar to Scream 2 in that we follow Ortega’s Tara Carpenter to college. Needless to say, Ghostface is stabbing and slicing his way through the student population before the opening credits roll.
Miller’s Girl (2024)
More recently, Jenna Ortega starred alongside Martin Freeman in the erotic thriller, Miller’s Girl, playing a young girl whose attempts to write an application for Yale University end up getting her emotionally entangled with her English teacher (Freeman).
This is an Ortega movie for slightly more mature audiences, in that it deals with desire and problematic sexual power dynamics—but if you appreciate movies like Call Me by Your Name or Notes on a Scandal, it might be up your alley.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
In 2024, having already played Wednesday for a season on Netflix, Ortega starred in the long-awaited sequel to another goth girl favourite, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The comedy horror continued the story of Tim Burton’s 1988 original, 36 years later, with Ortega playing the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz.
This is obviously made for fans of Wednesday but also Burton’s movies in general, like Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride. I can’t say that I loved the movie, but as a symbolic passing of the torch from Ryder to Ortega, it feels quite fitting.
Death of a Unicorn (2025)
Though Ortega has thrived in various cult horror franchises (even leaning into that persona with her appearance in Sabrina Carpenter’s viral music video, Taste), she’s also shown the breadth of her talent across a host of other genres. One of her least easily categorised is Death of a Unicorn, in which Ortega co-starred with Paul Rudd as a daughter and father who accidentally kill a unicorn while out driving.
This is, as you might have already guessed, an A24 movie. It’s also one of the studio’s weirder recent productions—but if you liked the similarly bonkers Swiss Army Man or Lamb, it might appeal to you!
Wednesday (2022-)
In 2022, Ortega became the seventh young actress to take on a role that began with Lisa Loring in 1964 and helped make Cristina Ricci a star in the early ‘90s. Those were some big boots to fill, but Ortega’s Wednesday was an immediate smash—an Addams Family hero for the TikTok generation who even had her own signature dance. This is one for the Burton heads—especially the movie we mentioned earlier—but also for fans of supernatural high school shows like Buffy and Stranger Things.
The horror comedy spin-off went on to become the streaming platform’s most-watched series of all time, surpassing even Stranger Things. To date, it’s been viewed for over 1.7 billion hours and earned Ortega Best Actress nominations at both the Emmys and the Golden Globes.
