NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 11: Jenna Ortega attends A24’s “Death Of A Unicorn” New York Screening at … More
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega says she misses not being known prior to the success of the blockbuster Netflix series.
Since the premiere of director Tim Burton’s Addams Family series Wednesday on the streamer in November of 2022, Ortega’s career has kicked into overdrive with roles in such blockbusters as Burton’s supernatural comedy Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and more recently, starring turns in the horror comedy Death of a Unicorn and the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall.
Ortega next stars opposite Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye in the psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, which opens in theaters on May 16. In a recent interview with The Weeknd for V Magazine, the music superstar asked Ortega if she missed her anonymity.
“Oh, most definitely. I mean, that was just a few years ago, I’d done some shows and was working in film, but it wasn’t until that show, the day of the week [Wednesday], that just catapulted everything,” Ortega told The Weeknd. “As grateful as I am, and it was a dream role, it was so nice to have had way less pressure.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Jenna Ortega attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted … More
Jenna Ortega Says She Enjoyed ‘The Actor’s Come-Up and Struggle’
Of course, before Wednesday, Ortega’s star was on the rise with pivotal roles in the horror thrillers Scream and Scream VI, but there was a time before that that was daunting and thrilling at the same time.
“I love the hustle. There’s something about the actor’s come-up and struggle that I really enjoyed,” Ortega told The Weeknd for V Magazine. “Sleeping in the cars, driving all around LA for auditions and waiting for weeks, feeling sick to my stomach that I wasn’t going to get the job I really wanted. The adrenaline rush of it all was so exciting.
“I don’t know if it’s common, or if you can relate to this, but it kind of feels like you’re perpetually in this loop of anxiety,” Ortega added. “I hold so much more pressure and weight in my body than I ever did, and I think it’s just kind of the expectation of it all.”
Hurry Up Tomorrow opens in theaters nationwide on May 16. The logline for the film reads, “An insomniac musician encounters a mysterious stranger, leading to a journey that challenges everything he knows about himself.”
Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 6 with Episodes 1-4 and will conclude on Sept. 3 with Episodes 5-8.
