Jenna Ortega Turns 24 Today: From Child Star to Wednesday Addams Icon
At only 24, Jenna Ortega has already lived through several versions of a Hollywood career.
Child actor.
Disney Channel lead.
Teen drama performer.
Horror breakout.
Scream queen.
Wednesday Addams.
Producer.
Tim Burton collaborator.
And now one of the most recognizable young actors of her generation.
Jenna Marie Ortega celebrates her 24th birthday today, September 27, 2026. She was born on September 27, 2002, and began acting professionally when she was still a child.
For some viewers, she will always be Harley Diaz from Stuck in the Middle.
Others first noticed her in You or The Fallout.
Horror fans may immediately think of Tara Carpenter in Scream or Lorraine in X.
But for millions around the world, one role changed everything.
Black braids.
Black dress.
Almost no smile.
A cello.
A dance nobody could stop copying.
Wednesday Addams.
The Netflix series transformed Ortega from a successful young actress into an international star. Yet perhaps the most interesting thing about her career is what happened afterward.
Instead of simply repeating the formula, she moved deeper into horror, reunited with Tim Burton for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, became a producer on Wednesday, and continued choosing unusual projects that often sit somewhere between mainstream entertainment and something much stranger.
At 24, Jenna Ortega no longer feels like a young actor waiting for a defining role.
She already found one.
Now she is figuring out what comes after it.
Happy 24th Birthday, Jenna Ortega
Ortega was born on September 27, 2002, in Southern California's Coachella Valley and began pursuing acting at a very young age. Biographical accounts place the beginning of her professional career at around nine years old.
That means she has already spent well over half of her life working in entertainment.
Her early credits included television appearances before she began attracting wider attention as the younger version of Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin.
Then came Disney Channel.
From 2016 to 2018, Ortega starred as Harley Diaz in Stuck in the Middle, playing the inventive middle child of a large family. The role gave her a recognizable identity with younger audiences years before the gothic world of Nevermore Academy entered her life.
At that stage, her career looked like the familiar path of a successful young television actor.
It did not stay that way.
Jenna Ortega Had to Grow Beyond the Disney Image
Transitioning out of children's television can be one of the hardest stages of a young actor's career.
Audiences remember the character.
Casting directors remember the brand.
The performer gets older, but public perception does not always move at the same speed.
Ortega began dismantling that image with darker and more complicated projects.
She appeared as Ellie Alves in the second season of Netflix's You, putting her inside a psychological thriller very different from Disney programming.
Then came The Fallout.
In the 2021 drama, Ortega played Vada, a teenager dealing with the emotional aftermath of a school shooting.
The performance became an important bridge in her career.
It demonstrated that she could carry emotionally difficult material without depending on genre gimmicks or an established franchise character.
Soon afterward, horror arrived.
And that changed everything again.
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Horror Became the Perfect Genre for Her
There is something about Ortega's screen presence that fits horror unusually well.
She can appear vulnerable without seeming passive.
She can deliver deadpan humor without losing tension.
And when a scene requires fear, anger or emotional shock, she can move between those states quickly.
In 2022, audiences saw two important examples within months of each other.
First came Tara Carpenter in Scream.
Paramount's 2022 revival placed Ortega among a new generation of Woodsboro characters while bringing back legacy figures including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.
Tara is attacked in the film's opening sequence, immediately putting Ortega through one of horror cinema's most recognizable traditions: surviving—or not surviving—the Ghostface cold open.
This time, the victim survives.
And Tara becomes part of the larger story.
Ortega returned as Tara in Scream VI, which moved the surviving characters from Woodsboro to New York City.
By then, calling her a modern scream queen did not feel exaggerated.
X Showed Another Side of Her Horror Career
The same year as Scream, Ortega appeared in Ti West's X.
A24's slasher follows a group of young filmmakers who travel to rural Texas in 1979 and gradually discover that their isolated production location is far more dangerous than expected. Ortega played Lorraine, alongside Mia Goth, Brittany Snow and Scott Mescudi.
The role strengthened Ortega's connection with modern horror.
But more importantly, it helped establish that she was not simply joining one franchise.
She was actively moving through the genre.
Slashers.
Psychological drama.
Supernatural comedy.
Gothic television.
Over the next few years, audiences would see horror become less of an occasional stop in Ortega's filmography and more of a creative language she seemed especially comfortable speaking.
Then Tim Burton called.
Wednesday Changed Jenna Ortega's Career
There are famous television roles.
And then there are roles that become cultural events.
When Netflix's Wednesday premiered in November 2022, Ortega inherited a character with generations of history behind her.
Wednesday Addams had existed since Charles Addams created the Addams Family characters in the 20th century.
Lisa Loring had played her on television.
Christina Ricci's version in the 1990s movies had become iconic.
Ortega therefore faced a difficult problem.
She needed to play a character everyone recognized without simply impersonating the people who came before her.
Netflix's series aged Wednesday into a teenager at Nevermore Academy and built a supernatural murder mystery around her.
Ortega's version was colder.
More controlled.
Almost aggressively still.
She avoided obvious emotional reactions.
Her stare became part of the performance.
So did the voice.
The posture.
The refusal to smile unless something was deeply wrong.
And viewers responded immediately.
The Dance Became a Pop-Culture Phenomenon
One scene escaped the series entirely.
At Nevermore's Rave'N dance, Wednesday performs a bizarre, angular routine while The Cramps' “Goo Goo Muck” plays.
The dance became one of the show's defining moments.
And Ortega choreographed it herself.
Netflix later confirmed that rather than using a conventional choreographer to construct the routine, Ortega developed the movements herself, drawing inspiration from figures including original Wednesday actress Lisa Loring and Bob Fosse.
Then the internet took over.
Fans began recreating the scene.
Edits replaced the original music with Lady Gaga's “Bloody Mary.”
That version went viral globally and helped push an older Gaga track back into popular culture.
It was one of those rare moments where an actor's creative choice became larger than the scene, larger than the episode and eventually almost larger than the show.
Wednesday Earned Ortega an Emmy Nomination
The popularity was not merely viral.
Ortega's performance received major awards recognition.
She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Wednesday Addams.
That nomination confirmed something important.
Wednesday might have become a meme, fashion influence and streaming phenomenon, but the performance beneath all of that was being taken seriously.
Ortega had managed to make extreme emotional restraint expressive.
Wednesday rarely gives audiences conventional warmth.
Yet viewers still understand when she is jealous.
Afraid.
Interested.
Protective.
Angry.
Or, in her own highly specific way, affectionate.
The performance depends on tiny changes.
That is much harder than simply delivering sarcastic lines without smiling.
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Season 2 Gave Ortega More Control Behind the Camera
By Wednesday Season 2, Ortega was no longer only the star.
She also became a producer on the series.
Netflix described her expanded creative involvement as giving her a deeper role in discussions ranging from prosthetics and blood effects to character and story decisions.
That evolution is significant.
It is one thing for a young actor to become the face of a giant streaming hit.
It is another to begin influencing how that project is made.
Ortega has spoken about learning from Tim Burton and becoming more comfortable participating in creative discussions surrounding the series.
At 24, she is therefore already moving toward a career where acting may be only one part of her creative identity.
Tim Burton Became an Important Collaborator
The relationship between Ortega and Tim Burton did not remain confined to Wednesday.
In 2024, she joined the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton's long-awaited sequel to his 1988 supernatural comedy.
Ortega played Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz.
The film reunited Michael Keaton, Ryder and Catherine O'Hara while adding Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux and others.
The casting almost felt inevitable.
Ortega's modern gothic image had become strongly associated with Burton's visual world.
But Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also placed her inside another piece of pop-culture history.
She was no longer simply taking on Wednesday Addams.
She was entering a second beloved gothic franchise with an audience spanning multiple generations.
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Working With Winona Ryder Created an Interesting Generational Connection
There is something particularly fitting about Ortega and Winona Ryder appearing together.
Ryder became one of the defining young actors of the late 1980s and 1990s through films that mixed outsider characters, dark humor and unconventional style.
Ortega has developed a comparable relationship with modern gothic pop culture.
In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ryder plays the mother.
Ortega plays the daughter.
And by 2026, the connection extended again: Netflix announced that Ryder would also join the cast of Wednesday Season 3.
For audiences who grew up with Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, the casting creates a generational bridge.
For younger audiences, Ortega may be the performer introducing them to that entire aesthetic.
Wednesday Season 3 Is Already on the Way
Ortega celebrates her 24th birthday with Wednesday Addams still very much part of her immediate future.
Netflix confirmed that production on Season 3 began near Dublin in February 2026, with Ortega returning alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Emma Myers and other established cast members.
New additions include Winona Ryder, Eva Green and Chris Sarandon.
The fact that Ortega is entering a third season demonstrates how completely the character has become associated with her.
Wednesday existed long before Jenna Ortega.
But for an entire generation, Jenna Ortega is now the face they imagine first.
She Has Also Been Careful Not to Become Only Wednesday
This may be the most important career decision she has made since the show's success.
A role as enormous as Wednesday Addams can become a trap.
Studios want variations of the same thing.
Audiences want the same persona.
Every new character risks being compared with Wednesday.
Ortega has responded by choosing projects that are often strange enough to create their own identity.
In 2025, she starred opposite Paul Rudd in A24's Death of a Unicorn, playing a daughter whose trip with her father takes a bizarre turn after they accidentally kill a mythical creature and encounter wealthy people eager to exploit its healing properties.
The premise could hardly be described as conventional.
That seems to be part of the attraction.
Her Career Is Expanding Beyond Acting
Ortega is also becoming more active as a producer.
In addition to her producing role on Wednesday, she is attached as a producer to Nasty, a sports drama in which she is set to star opposite Rose Byrne.
The project centers on an athlete fighting for a place on an Olympic gymnastics team while dealing with a coach who may be her greatest obstacle. Production was reported to be preparing for the latter part of 2026.
That is another clue about where Ortega's career may be heading.
The actors who build the longest careers often eventually begin controlling material rather than merely waiting for roles to arrive.
At 24, she is already moving in that direction.
Klara and the Sun Is Her Next Major Transformation
One of Ortega's most interesting upcoming roles may also be one of her least Wednesday-like.
She stars as Klara, an artificial companion, in Taika Waititi's adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun.
Sony has scheduled the film for theatrical release on October 23, 2026, less than a month after Ortega's birthday. The film also features Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne.
The role gives Ortega a very different acting challenge.
Klara is an artificial being observing humanity.
That means curiosity, innocence and emotional interpretation rather than Wednesday's cultivated contempt for almost everyone around her.
For an actor so strongly associated with deadpan darkness, that contrast could be exactly what she needs.
Why Jenna Ortega Became Such a Strong Gen Z Star
Plenty of young actors become famous.
Fewer become culturally identifiable.
Ortega has several advantages.
First, she grew up onscreen alongside much of her audience.
Viewers who encountered her through Disney could follow her into older material.
Second, she found a genre identity.
Horror fandom is unusually loyal.
Performers who become beloved within the genre often retain that audience across completely unrelated projects.
Third, Wednesday gave Ortega a visual signature.
The clothes.
The hair.
The expression.
The dance.
Even people who had never watched the entire show recognized the character.
Finally, Ortega appears increasingly interested in the creative process itself rather than treating acting as a purely performative job.
That combination has allowed her to become both a mainstream celebrity and a performer strongly associated with unusual genre work.
Horror May Remain Part of Her Identity for a Long Time
Some actors spend years trying to escape genre labels.
Ortega has generally appeared comfortable embracing horror while refusing to be limited by it.
That is a smart distinction.
Horror can contain almost anything.
Family drama.
Comedy.
Romance.
Social satire.
Psychological trauma.
Fantasy.
Mystery.
Even a dead unicorn.
A performer does not necessarily become restricted simply because many of the stories contain blood.
And Ortega's career demonstrates how broad the modern genre can be.
Tara Carpenter is nothing like Wednesday Addams.
Lorraine in X is nothing like Astrid in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The darkness connects them aesthetically.
The performances remain different.
At 24, She Has Already Worked With an Extraordinary List of Filmmakers
Tim Burton.
Ti West.
Trey Edward Shults.
Taika Waititi.
The directors behind the modern Scream films.
That is an unusual filmography for someone who has only just turned 24.
And the collaborations suggest something else.
Ortega seems drawn toward filmmakers with recognizable voices.
That can be an excellent long-term strategy.
A performer does not build an interesting career simply by appearing in successful movies.
They build one by appearing in movies people remember.
Wednesday May Be Her Defining Role—But It Doesn't Have to Define Her Limits
Every major actor eventually becomes linked with one character.
Daniel Radcliffe has Harry Potter.
Robert Pattinson has Edward Cullen.
Anthony Hopkins has Hannibal Lecter.
Sigourney Weaver has Ellen Ripley.
Being strongly associated with one character is not necessarily a problem.
The challenge is using that visibility to create opportunities elsewhere.
At 24, Ortega is still at the beginning of that process.
She already has Wednesday.
She now has the ability to choose what the rest of her career looks like.
That may be far more valuable than simply avoiding typecasting.
Her Career Has Already Come Full Circle in an Interesting Way
As a child actor, Ortega was trying to be noticed.
As a Disney lead, she was trying to prove she could grow beyond children's television.
As a young adult actor, she found credibility through drama and horror.
Then Wednesday made her so visible that the challenge reversed.
Now the question is not:
Will audiences notice Jenna Ortega?
It is:
Can audiences stop seeing Wednesday long enough to see the next character?
That is a much better problem to have.
And projects like Klara and the Sun may provide the answer.
Happy Birthday to Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega turns 24 today with a résumé that would already be impressive for someone considerably older.
She began acting as a child.
Played young Jane.
Led a Disney Channel series.
Entered the disturbing world of You.
Delivered an acclaimed dramatic performance in The Fallout.
Survived Ghostface in Scream.
Joined Ti West's X.
Reinvented Wednesday Addams for a new generation.
Choreographed a dance that became an internet phenomenon.
Earned an Emmy nomination.
Joined Tim Burton's Beetlejuice universe.
Became a producer.
And now has another Wednesday season and multiple major film projects ahead.
That is a remarkable amount of career evolution before 25.
But perhaps Ortega's biggest advantage is that she still seems to be experimenting.
She could easily spend the next decade repeating the gothic persona that made her famous.
So far, she appears more interested in expanding it.
That makes her 24th birthday feel less like a retrospective and more like a checkpoint.
The child star is long gone.
The Disney era is history.
Wednesday made her famous worldwide.
Now comes the interesting part:
finding out how many different versions of Jenna Ortega audiences have yet to see.
Happy 24th birthday, Jenna Ortega.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is today Jenna Ortega's birthday?
Yes. Jenna Ortega was born on September 27, 2002, making September 27 her birthday.
How old is Jenna Ortega today?
Jenna Ortega turns 24 years old on September 27, 2026.
What is Jenna Ortega's full name?
Her full name is Jenna Marie Ortega.
When did Jenna Ortega start acting?
Ortega began acting professionally as a child, at roughly nine years old.
What Disney show was Jenna Ortega in?
She starred as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, which ran from 2016 to 2018.
Was Jenna Ortega in Jane the Virgin?
Yes. She played a younger version of Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin during the early part of her career.
Who does Jenna Ortega play in Scream?
She plays Tara Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream VI.
Was Jenna Ortega in X?
Yes. She played Lorraine in Ti West's 2022 horror film X.
When did Jenna Ortega start playing Wednesday Addams?
Ortega began playing Wednesday Addams when Netflix's Wednesday premiered in 2022.
Did Jenna Ortega choreograph the Wednesday dance herself?
Yes. Netflix has confirmed that Ortega created the dance routine herself, drawing on several inspirations including Lisa Loring and Bob Fosse.
Did Jenna Ortega win an Emmy for Wednesday?
She received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Wednesday.
Is Jenna Ortega a producer on Wednesday?
Yes. Ortega took on an expanded producing role beginning with Wednesday Season 2, giving her greater involvement in the show's creative process.
Is Wednesday getting a third season?
Yes. Netflix has confirmed Wednesday Season 3, with Jenna Ortega returning in the title role. Production began in 2026.
Is Winona Ryder in Wednesday Season 3?
Yes. Netflix announced Winona Ryder among the new cast members joining Season 3.
Who does Jenna Ortega play in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?
She plays Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz, in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Was Jenna Ortega in Death of a Unicorn?
Yes. She stars alongside Paul Rudd in A24's 2025 horror-comedy Death of a Unicorn.
What is Jenna Ortega's next movie?
One of her major upcoming films is Klara and the Sun, directed by Taika Waititi and based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel. Sony has scheduled it for theatrical release on October 23, 2026.
Who does Jenna Ortega play in Klara and the Sun?
She plays Klara, an Artificial Friend designed to provide companionship to humans.
Why is Jenna Ortega called a scream queen?
The label comes from her substantial work in horror, including Scream, Scream VI, X, Wednesday and other dark genre projects. Her prominence in modern horror has made the description common in media coverage.
What made Jenna Ortega famous worldwide?
Although she had been acting for years, Wednesday became her major worldwide breakthrough. Her performance as Wednesday Addams, particularly the character's deadpan personality and viral dance sequence, turned her into an international pop-culture figure.
How old was Jenna Ortega when Wednesday premiered?
Ortega was 20 years old when Wednesday premiered on Netflix in November 2022.
What makes Jenna Ortega's career unusual?
By 24, she has successfully moved from child acting and Disney television into adult drama, major horror franchises, blockbuster films and producing. She has also developed ongoing creative collaborations with filmmakers such as Tim Burton while continuing to take roles outside the Wednesday Addams persona.
