Get ready to snap your fingers, because there’s a new Wednesday Addams haunting Netflix! Jenna Ortega was announced as the next Wednesday Addams for the upcoming Netflix series Wednesday. The series is a standalone show about the iconic character from The Addams Family, helmed by filmmaker Tim Burton. Over the years, Wednesday has been portrayed by actresses like Christina Ricci (The Addams Family, Addams Family Values), Lisa Loring (the 1960’s series The Addams Family), and Krysta Rodriguez (The Addams Family musical). So who is this young star who’s about to skyrocket to fame? Learn more about Jenna Ortega with the five facts below!
1. Jenna Has Been Acting For Years
While she might be a relative unknown to most, Jenna is practically a veteran as far as her time in Hollywood is concerned. The 18-year-old started acting in 2012. Her first credited role was for playing “Girl” in the TV series Rob, per IMDb. In 2013, her career reached a new level, starring in the film Insidious: Chapter 2 as Annie. By 2014, she played Zoe Leon in the series Rake, and between 2014-2019 she portrayed the younger version of actress Gina Rodriguez on the TV sitcom Jane The Virgin. Clearly, Jenna has a lot of strong credits to her name.
2. Jenna Revealed That She Was Cast As Wednesday On Instagram
While Netflix sent out their own casting announcement, Jenna was just as excited to reveal the news. The actress took to Instagram on May 19 and shared a carousel post featuring two photos. The first image was a selfie that Jenna took with the script — she’s already working on her Wednesday Addams glare. The second photo featured a post for the TV show. “New chapter. Hope I can do Wednesday Addams justice. *snaps twice*,” Jenna captioned her post.
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3. Jenna Will Also Star In Another Big Horror Project
Along with flexing her creepy and cooky muscles as Wednesday Addams, Jenna will also appear as Tara Carpenter in the upcoming Scream film. The project is slated for a 2022 release, and includes quite a few familiar faces (including original Scream stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox). Details about the project are being kept tightly under wraps.
4. Jenna Is Also A Writer
Although most fans might know her best for her on-screen roles, Jenna is also quite a writer! In August 2020, she announced her very first book, It’s All Love, which debuted in January 2021. “This book is all about finding the strength, faith, courage, and love to help us all get through every day. It’s full of reflections and stories from my personal experience that I hope might strike a chord with you. Can’t wait till you guys can read,” she told her Instagram followers in her August 2020 announcement.
5. Jenna Joins A Number Of Stars Who Have Played The Beloved Character
While Jenna is the latest actress to play Wednesday, she likely won’t be the last. The character originated on TV with actress Lisa Loring starring in the role. After some attempts to reinvigorate the series, Christina Ricci took over the role in two live action movies — The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). Following another dry spell in the 2000s, Krysta Rodriguez played an adult iteration of Wednesday in the Broadway musical The Addams Family. Most recently, however, Chloe Grace Moretz voiced an animated version of Wednesday in the 2019 animated film. Longtime fans of this memorable character cannot wait to see what Tim Burton, Jenna Ortega, and Netflix have in store for a new generation of fans!