Thanks to Wednesday, millions of people have been introduced to Jenna Ortega. But the actor is anything but an overnight success. A former child star, Ortega has spent over a decade working as a professional actor. And she’s certainly come a long way since she begged her parents to let her pursue acting.
Jenna Ortega convinced her parents to let her pursue acting at a young age
Ortega admits that she has the furthest things from “stage parents.” While she caught the acting bug early on, it took some convincing before her mom and dad let her pursue it as a career. At 6, Ortega begged her mom to let her act. To appease her daughter, Ortega’s mom bought her a book of monologues. Shortly after receiving the book, the You actor memorized one of the monologues and burst into tears while performing it for her mom.
The actor’s mom had a hand in helping her get her start in Hollywood
To say Ortega’s mom was surprised is an understatement. The Fallout actor was so believable in her monologue that, at first, her parents didn’t realize she was performing. When Ortega’s mom realized her daughter was acting, she recorded her and put the video up on Facebook. As fate would have it, one of her mother’s Facebook friends was a casting director and saw Ortega’s potential.
Of course, Ortega’s journey to success required tons of consistency and tenacity. Like many actors, she worked on commercials and had small roles before steadily landing bigger projects. Today, she leads one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time. While speaking with The Face, the Scream star admitted that her parents are still a bit shell-shocked about the level of success she’s achieved in Hollywood.
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Ortega admits that her parents are surprised by the level of success she’s experiencing
“I feel like they kind of can’t believe it,” Ortega explained of her parents. “Not to say that they didn’t believe in me, because obviously they wouldn’t have done six-hour car trips back and forth, four or five times a week, so that I could go to LA and audition, but still. My mom literally said this to me yesterday – she said: ‘I did not think you were going to be here.’ Which is true! That’s what it is. Because we had no connection to Hollywood, it was a random thing. I’m living off of a six-year-old girl’s decisions.”
Ortega’s parents may not have thought she’d end up here, but they’ve been supportive of her every step of the way. The California native has been candid about how much her mom and dad sacrificed in order for her to achieve the success that she has. Furthermore, she still leans on them for support even though she’s all grown up. For example, during the first month of filming Wednesday, she called her parents on a nightly basis for emotional support.
Ortega’s mom and dad still worry about her
Of course, like any good parents, Ortega’s mom and dad still worry about her. Her continued success requires her to travel a lot, and that’s something that makes them a bit nervous. Furthermore, her busy schedule means she doesn’t get to see them as often as she’d like. Still, they remain supportive. “I think it’s hard for them to see me less and less and less,” Ortega shared. “I’m a small girl, I travel a lot. They’re more worried about the safety aspect of it all. But they just want me to be good. I’m very, very fortunate. I have the greatest parents. They just want me to be safe and happy.”
