Jenna Ortega Couldn’t Care Less About Being Famous
Thanks to the smash hit that is Wednesday, more people are being introduced to Jenna Ortega than ever before. The Netflix show has made the actor a household name, with her popularity increasing by the day. Since the show’s debut in November, Ortega’s following has increased by the millions. But the actor is anything but an overnight success. She’s been pounding the pavement of this industry since she was just 9 years old. Now, at 20, Ortega is bonafide famous. However, she has absolutely no interest in being a celebrity.
Jenna Ortega wasn’t expecting ‘Wednesday’ to make her famous
Ortega has been candid about the fact that she underestimated how successful Wednesday would be. She’s even called herself naive about how many people she thought would tune in to see Tim Burton’s rendition of the iconic character. Now that the show has become one of Netflix’s biggest hits of all time, it’s hard to believe that The Fallout star was initially hesitant about the role. She’d finally broken into film and wasn’t looking to be locked down by a TV contract once more. However, she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to work with Burton and reimagine such a beloved character, so she said yes.
The actor is uncomfortable with her ever-increasing celebrity status
Wednesday has certainly put Ortega on the map in a new way. Now, more people than ever before are interested in seeing her work. Of course, there are some upsides to being more famous. After more than half her life in the industry, the California native is finally getting the chance to do projects that she’s really passionate about. Furthermore, she can afford to be more selective about the roles she takes on. But the work is truly what fuels the actor. She’s not interested in all the other things that go into being a star in Hollywood.
“Ultimately, all the other side stuff that comes with my job, sometimes it makes it feel like it’s almost not worth it,” Ortega shared with Elle. “I don’t want to feel like a walking billboard, which is a really, really scary feeling because then you feel less and less in control of your life. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of people or know people who have succumbed to that pressure. I don’t want to belong to anyone or anything.”
Ortega explains what pushes her to work on bigger TV shows and movies
But if Ortega isn’t compelled by being famous, what pushes her to work on larger projects like Scream 6? The actor enjoys the opportunity to work with the best that Hollywood has to offer. It just so happens that “the best” people tend to work on high-profile, well-paying, films and TV shows. However, if it weren’t for that, Ortega would seemingly be content making art in a capacity that was far more low-profile.
“If I want to make films so badly and I want to play characters, or I want to direct and write film scores, I could do that all in my backyard,” Ortega admitted. “I don’t have to be doing it on a grand scale like this.” Ortega may not be interested in being famous, but she’s seemingly learning how to cope with it for the time being. But considering she’s hinted that she could potentially quit acting one day, it’s clear that she’ll make the decisions that work best for her.
