Jenna Ortega is now one of the biggest names in Hollywood, thanks to standout roles in Wednesday, Scream, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice—but there was a point where she nearly walked away from acting completely.
After starring on Stuck in the Middle from 2016 to 2018, Ortega seriously considered stepping back from her career. That all changed, however, when she landed the role of Ellie in season two of You.
On the April 8 episode of Kid Cudi’s Big Bro, Jenna Ortega opened up about the moment she nearly walked away from acting.
“I didn’t know what else I was gonna do. I’ve never really considered anything else—more-so recently, just out of sake of curiosity and wanting another life experience. But when I was a teenager, I’d gotten off a children’s show, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had to prove myself and meet all these new casting directors who didn’t know who I was,” she shared.
She continued, “It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to. I was starting high school, and, ‘it was a good run’ sort of thing. We had talked about it for a few months with my team. And then, I think I booked that show You, and then I went on that set and I loved it and had the best time. I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s no way I could let this go.’”
Now 23, Ortega began acting professionally at just nine years old, even playing a younger version of Jane on Jane the Virgin. Since then, she’s gone on to rack up major accolades, including a Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Female TV Star, an MTV Movie & TV Award for Most Frightened Performance, and a People’s Choice Award for Drama Movie Star of the Year. She also landed a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2024.
