Jenna Ortega Says She Feels Misunderstood By The Public
Jenna Ortega may be one of the most talked-about young stars in Hollywood, but despite the fame, she doesn’t always feel seen. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 22-year-old Wednesday actress opened up about fame, false assumptions, and the struggle to stay grounded when everyone thinks they know who you are.
Asked whether she feels the public really understands her, Jenna didn’t hesitate: “Not at all.”
In fact, she went a step further, saying fame has made her feel disconnected from her own identity. “It’s almost to a point where it feels like your name doesn’t belong to you,” she said. “I almost don’t even resonate with it anymore.”
For Jenna, it’s the nonstop assumptions about her personality, her choices, her life that sting the most. “I hate assumptions,” she said, “and a big part of this job is that people are going to make assumptions about you.”
Tim Burton, who directed Wednesday, joined her in the interview and brought up what he called “the death of the movie star,” a time when actors could still maintain some mystery.
Jenna agreed. “We know too much,” she added. “And people feel entitled to those bits and pieces of your life where, if they were put under the same microscope, they wouldn’t feel nearly as comfortable.”
That microscope can get intense, especially in public. While Jenna said sometimes she can walk around for hours and go completely unnoticed, other times it’s chaos.
“Somebody shouting your name in public is insane,” she admitted. “Sometimes I feel uncomfortable when it’s grown men approaching me.”
Even worse, she said, are the times fans take things way too far. “…Sometimes people shout vile things,” Jenna revealed further. “Like, you don’t stop for somebody because you’re going to be late for something and they’re calling you a ‘c— w—-’ in front of your mother. It’s horrific.”
Despite the dark side of fame, Jenna is still soaring professionally. Netflix just announced that Wednesday will return for a third season even before season two has aired. Season 2 will roll out in two parts, arriving August 6 and September 3.
The show’s first season, which dropped in 2023, turned Jenna into a global phenomenon. The gothic mystery, inspired by The Addams Family, became a fan favorite and landed her, Tim Burton, and the show itself Emmy nominations.
