Jenna Ortega Reveals the Unforgettable Moment She Realized ‘Wednesday’ Would Change Everything

Not every actor gets a career-defining moment that arrives in a single, unmistakable instant, but Jenna Ortega’s did. Before ‘Wednesday‘ turned her into one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars, she was already a working actress with plenty of credits to her name, yet nothing could have prepared her for what happened almost overnight.

Ortega had built a solid career for herself well before stepping into the role of Wednesday Addams, having starred in her own Disney Channel series ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ appeared in Netflix’s ‘You,’ and taken on a role in that year’s ‘Scream’ installment. Still, none of that experience gave her a real frame of reference for the level of attention that was about to hit.

‘Wednesday’ premiered on Netflix the day before Thanksgiving in 2022, and it remains the streamer’s biggest English-language series debut ever, nearly four years later. According to Ortega, the shift in her life happened almost instantly, and she can pinpoint the exact moment it clicked.

Speaking about the experience, she said, “It really was overnight. I think it was on Thanksgiving and I was on a walk with my nephew and some lady did some illegal behind-the-wheel work to get around so that I would take a photo with her daughter. And, they were like screaming from their car and I was wearing sweats and no makeup.”

That jarring realization stands in sharp contrast to how uncertain Ortega actually felt during production. In a separate conversation, the actress admitted she initially feared the role might do the opposite of launching her career. “I thought my career was going to be over after that,” Ortega said. “I panicked. I had no idea. I was so confused.” She added that filming in Romania made the project feel deceptively low-key at the time, saying she and her castmates used to joke about how strange it was that such a major production felt so unacknowledged in the moment, even with Tim Burton attached.

Once the show did land, though, its cultural impact proved undeniable, and Ortega has continued reflecting on what that sudden fame actually meant to her personally. She’s said the thrill of that early success wasn’t really about her own experience on set, but about what it represented for the people who supported her getting there in the first place. “The thrill wasn’t for me. It was the fact I had begged my mom to let me do this thing,” she said. “To see my family get excited about something that I was able to accomplish, because I was stubborn and persistent enough to have made them proud, that was what was exciting to me.”

Since that breakout moment, Ortega’s career has only continued to expand. She’s returned for a second season of ‘Wednesday,’ which she also executive produced, while deepening her creative partnership with Burton through projects like ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.’ She’s also taken on high-profile opportunities like hosting ‘Saturday Night Live,’ cementing her status as one of the industry’s most in-demand young performers.

With Season 3 of ‘Wednesday’ now in production and not expected to arrive until later in 2027, Ortega has hinted that the character’s journey is entering more emotionally complicated territory. Given that the show’s core cast is now portrayed as high school seniors within the story, she’s suggested the new season will dig into more confrontational questions about family, growing up and what adulthood actually looks like, both for Wednesday and, in some ways, for Ortega herself.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!