Jenna Ortega Embraces Career Risks as ‘Wednesday’ Becomes a Global Phenomenon
Jenna Ortega is refusing to let the enormous success of Wednesday dictate the direction of her career.
At 23, Ortega has already established herself as one of the most recognizable young actors in Hollywood, thanks largely to her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s hit series. But rather than simply repeating the formula that made her famous, the actress is continuing to pursue unusual characters and ambitious projects.
In a new interview, Ortega reflected on the risks she has taken throughout her career and explained how her experiences have helped her become more selective about the stories and characters she wants to pursue.
The actress is currently filming the third season of Wednesday in Dublin, continuing her role as the iconic Addams Family character that transformed her career.
Since its debut in 2022, Wednesday has become a global phenomenon, turning Ortega into an international star and making her interpretation of Wednesday Addams one of the most recognizable television performances of her generation.
Despite that success, Ortega does not appear interested in allowing the popularity of the series to limit her creative choices.
Instead, she has entered what she describes as an experimental phase in her career.
Ortega has already demonstrated a willingness to move between major franchises and unconventional projects. Her film credits include the Scream franchise and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, while she has also taken on more unusual projects such as Miller’s Girl and Death of a Unicorn.
Her upcoming projects continue that pattern.
One of the most significant is Klara and the Sun, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel. Ortega plays Klara, an Artificial Friend who experiences the world with an optimistic and almost childlike perspective.
The role represents a major departure from Wednesday Addams.
Wednesday is famously cynical, sarcastic and emotionally guarded, while Klara is hopeful, curious and fascinated by the world around her.
For Ortega, that contrast was part of the attraction.
She has said that playing a character so different from the roles she has recently portrayed was exciting because it allowed her to explore another side of her acting abilities.
Klara and the Sun is scheduled to reach theaters on October 23, adding another potentially significant project to Ortega’s increasingly diverse filmography.
She is also attached to J.J. Abrams’ mysterious science-fiction fantasy The Great Beyond, which is expected to arrive in 2027.
The project is being kept heavily under wraps, but Ortega has revealed that she plays a young woman who arrives in a new city and develops a friendship with a character played by Glen Powell.
That level of secrecy has not stopped Ortega from expressing enthusiasm about the project.
For her, part of the appeal is Abrams’ willingness to develop an original, high-concept story rather than relying exclusively on an established franchise.
That approach mirrors Ortega’s own career strategy.
While Wednesday has given her enormous visibility, she appears determined to use that platform to explore different genres and characters.
Not every risk has produced the same level of success.
Ortega’s 2025 film Hurry Up Tomorrow, which she made alongside The Weeknd, received a much cooler reception than some of her other projects.
Rather than describing the experience as a mistake, however, Ortega says she prefers to view both successful and unsuccessful projects as learning experiences.
That philosophy appears to be central to her approach to Hollywood.
The actress has acknowledged that her career did not follow a straightforward path to stardom.
She began working as a child actor and spent years taking smaller roles before becoming a regular presence on television shows such as Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle and You.
Her first movie role came when she was only nine years old, when she appeared in Iron Man 3.
The early years taught her persistence.
Ortega has recalled her family making long drives to Los Angeles for auditions and supporting her ambitions even when success was far from guaranteed.
That experience appears to have shaped her attitude toward risk.
Instead of seeing failure as something that should be avoided at all costs, she views the process of experimenting as an essential part of discovering what works.
That perspective may become increasingly important as Wednesday grows.
The third season is already in production, and Ortega has indicated that the new episodes will explore more complicated issues surrounding family, adulthood and the uncertainty that comes with approaching the next stage of life.
The characters are now older, and the story is beginning to address questions about what comes after adolescence.
Ortega can relate to those questions herself.
Her own career has changed dramatically since she first began playing Wednesday. She has moved from being a promising young actor to a global star with significant influence over the projects she chooses.
With that influence comes greater pressure.
Audiences expect her to maintain the qualities that made Wednesday successful, while Ortega has an obvious interest in avoiding being trapped by a single character or genre.
That tension is likely to remain a defining feature of her career.
For now, the actress appears committed to maintaining a balance between major commercial projects and more unconventional roles.
Her upcoming work suggests that she is willing to take chances even when the safer option might be to remain within the formula that has already worked.
That willingness to experiment could prove to be one of her greatest strengths.
The success of Wednesday has given Ortega the opportunity to make choices that were much harder to make earlier in her career.
Rather than using that success simply to repeat herself, she appears determined to explore what else she can do.
The Jenna Ortega career story is therefore entering an interesting new chapter.
She remains closely associated with Wednesday Addams, but her upcoming roles demonstrate that she is determined to build an identity beyond the character.
As Wednesday becomes an even bigger part of her professional legacy, Ortega’s willingness to take risks may ultimately prove just as important as the role that made her famous.
For the actress, success does not appear to mean playing it safe.
It means having the freedom to experiment, learn from both successes and disappointments, and continue searching for characters that challenge her.
And with Klara and the Sun, The Great Beyond and the next chapter of Wednesday ahead, Jenna Ortega appears to have no intention of slowing down.
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