Jenna Ortega has quickly made her place in heart of audience specially for her dark roles. Her strategical choice of role has made her the queen of intense horror. From cult classic scream to eerie Wednesday she has proven to be the right choice for such roles. Her on screen intensity and dark presence make her a reliable choice for directors and casting teams who need someone who can carry darkness, vulnerability, and a memorable screen persona.
Transition from Child Actor to Dark Role
Jenna Ortega started her career as a child actor in sitecoms like Jane the Virgin, Stuck in the Middle, Richie Rich, Iron man 3 and latter shifted to roles which proved her diversity. Later in 2019 she made her appearance in first ever dark thriller You (Season 2). This marked her beginning of horror projects with The Fallout, Scream and Wednesday in the following years. This established her Career-defining gothic identity in Wednesday which made her a fan favourite.
Her Break Out to Horror Thriller Role
You Season 2 (2019)
Jenna Ortega proved that she is not only made for lively roles but also intense character that demanded a screen presence. Her journey in started with the role of Ellie Alves In You season 2 in 2019, this was her first Dark psychological series which proved her ability to shift to dark roles.
The Babysitter: Killer Queen & The Fallout (2020-2021)
Next in 2020 she was in a supporting role in The Babysitter: Killer Queen which was dark comedy. Following this came her first leading role in a intense dark movie The Fallout. The movie had more of a intense drama movie than a true horror.
Scream (2022)
In 2022 she stepped into real horror with Scream as Tara Carpenter. She proved that she was the right choice for the horror energy role as the film became a commercial success gaining Jenna Ortega lots and lots of Praise.
Wednesday (2022 – Present)
In the same year came her Career defining role that all people know her today for the Wednesday. She played Wednesday Addams from the Addam Family in Netflix Goth horror show. She established a her dark persona with this role gaining global attention. People loved how perfectly she played the role. In only 1 month of shows release on Netflix it marked 1 billion viewing hours.
The show became something that defined her identity in the genere. In interview latter makers revele that Jenna was suppose to not blink at all for just a scene in the show, but that single shot was so defining that it was decided that this would go on in the entire show. Wednesday became her identity and people started knowing her for her dark role. The show has already launched 2 seasons and the third one is in the making.
| Movie / Show | Year of Release | Character / Role | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| You (Season 2) | 2019 | Ellie Alves | Psychological Thriller / Crime Drama |
| The Babysitter: Killer Queen | 2020 | Phoebe Atwell | Horror Comedy / Slasher |
| The Fallout | 2021 | Vada Cavell | Psychological Drama / Trauma |
| Scream | 2022 | Tara Carpenter | Slasher Horror |
| X | 2022 | Lorraine Day | Horror |
| Wednesday | 2022 | Wednesday Addams | Gothic / Dark Comedy / Supernatural |
| Scream VI | 2023 | Tara Carpenter | Slasher Horror |
| Wednesday Season 2 | 2025 | Wednesday Addams | Gothic / Dark Comedy / Supernatural |
Why Jenna Ortega was the Perfect Fit?
Jenna was not only made for happy sitecom drama, she was capable of doing dark intense role which turned out to be her strong point. People often praise her deadpan intensity on the screen take makes her a perfect fit.
Her role in every project was supported by the physical transformation into her role. Whether it be 2 braids black look for Wednesday or a cocky teenager in scream. She is reported to go under intense training to truley be the character on screen.
Appreciation she deserved
Over the years with so many amazing projects Jenna Ortega deserved the much needed. She was nominated and won various awards specially for her role in Wednesday
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Television Series (Musical or Comedy) | Wednesday | Nominated |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Wednesday | Nominated |
| 2023 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Performance in a Show | Wednesday | Won |
| 2023 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Most Frightened Performance | Scream VI | Won |
| 2023 | Critics’ Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Horror Series | Wednesday | Won |
| 2023 | Critics’ Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Horror Movie | Scream | Nominated |
| 2023 | People’s Choice Awards | Female TV Star of the Year | Wednesday | Won |
| 2023 | People’s Choice Awards | Comedy TV Star of the Year | Wednesday | Won |
| 2024 | Saturn Awards | Best Actress in a Streaming Series | Wednesday | Won |
Why audience loves her dark roles?
Audience has loved her dark roles and this is clear by the viewership of her show Wednesday and box office collection of the movies. She has broken all records and has set her identity as Wednesday Adams. People have also stated that they can now not imagine anyone else in this role and she is the best pick.
She did not follow the traditional approach people usually expect in horror shows. She became a different persona herself. She played the cold Wednesday with perfection giving us the show people can not forget now.
Final thoughts
There is no doubt that Jenna Ortega’s performance in dark roles has impressed us all. She has proven that when it comes to horror and suspense there is no one better than her. She fits in the role like she owns it and this is what makes her unique. This is why Jenna Ortega Became Hollywood’s Go-To Actress for Dark Roles.
Looking for more shows like Wednesday? Here are 8 Shows Like “Wednesday” That You Should Watch Next. For more such viral and trendy entertainment stories keep exploring Vrl News and partner website Hit Bios.
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