Despite being just 20-years-old, Jenna Ortega has quickly become one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. Most fans will likely know her for her portrayal of the macabre Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix show, Wednesday, but she has plenty more projects on her belt that showcase her truly remarkable talents. Quickly solidifying herself as a horror icon, Ortega has also shown that she is skilled enough to take on other roles outside of her usual genre, reaching various benchmarks that would take other actors years. Though everyone will have their own favorite Jenna Ortega project, here are her best, according to the Tomatometer.
10 Studio 666 (2022) - 55%
Studio 666 is Jenna Ortega's briefest role on the list, with her screen time being a little under five minutes. The film follows the Foo Fighters, who have moved into a mansion in Encino to complete their next album. Unbeknownst to them, the mansion holds some unseen dark forces, that seek to cause havoc. This results in the lead singer, Dave Grohl, becoming possessed, as he then begins to hunt his bandmates down one by one.
Ortega plays Skye Willow, the drummer of fictional band, Dream Widow, who were also recording at the mansion in 1993. Much like the opening of Scream (2022), Ortega is fighting for her life in Studio 666's opening, crawling around with a bone sticking out from her leg. As she writhes around in pain and pleads for her life, you can see why Ortega has managed to settle down so comfortably in the horror genre, becoming one of the most iconic scream queens to date.
9 American Carnage (2022) - 58%
Ortega made another return to comedy horror in 2022 with American Carnage, which follows a group of children of undocumented immigrants who are given the opportunity to have their charges dropped if they volunteer to care for the elderly. Of course, it turns out to not be that simple, with the care home turning out to be more sinister than it appears. The reality of this world begins to feel all too real, with a similar tone to other horror movies such as Jordan Peele's Get Out, though it fails to stand out on its own.
Ortega is easily the best part of American Carnage, with her character, Camila, making it clear to see why Ortega was the best person to portray Wednesday Addams a little further down the line. Compared to her other horror roles by this point, Ortega shows why she has complete final girl potential, with Camila refusing to go down without a fight.
8 Wednesday - 71%
Wednesday is easily Jenna Ortega's most famous role, which also led to her being labeled the ultimate new-age Goth girl. Tim Burton's take on the character places her in the spooky Nevermore Academy, an institution for outcasts, freaks and monsters. While there, Wednesday has to learn to control her newfound psychic ability, which causes her to become embroiled in a murder mystery involving a mysterious creature. It's a true coming-of-age tale, and unlike anything fans of the Addams Family have seen before, with Wednesday navigating new friendships as well as some out of place love interests.
Given the fact that Ortega had some big shoes to fill, she managed to make Wednesday a character of her own. Wednesday has previously been portrayed by Lisa Loring in the '60s and Christina Ricci in the '90s, with the latter being regarded as the most iconic interpretation to date. Yet, Ortega managed to take what fans loved about Ricci's Wednesday and bring it to a younger audience, all while making sure it felt different. Thanks to Ortega, the Addams Family will continue to exist in the hearts of generations to come, showing that Wednesday is a truly timeless character.
7 Scream (2022) - 76%
Reviving Scream always felt like a bit of risk, but Scream (2022) quickly put all doubt to rest following its release. Similar to the Halloween reboot trilogy, Scream (2022) brought back the Legacy Trio as well introducing some new characters into the mix, including Jenna Ortega's Tara. At the time, Ortega had previously appeared in Netflix's You and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, which already established enough to bring a younger audience to the franchise. However, right when it seemed like the franchise had found its new final girl, Ortega's Tara is revealed to be the opening kill of the movie, but not quite.
In a new twist for the franchise, Tara survives her attack, albeit she doesn't look as though she could sustain another. It's up to her older sister, Samantha, along with the Legacy Trio, to unmask the new Ghostface and bring the latest killing spree to a close. While Ortega spends most of her time severely injured and subject to brutal attacks, she manages to bring a certain passion to her character, which makes her complicated relationship with her sister feel believable and heart-wrenching. Combined with some pretty decent one-liners, Ortega managed to make a new character stand out among the classic ones, which is a truly commendable achievement.
Related: 10 Movies and TV Shows You Might Have Forgotten Jenna Ortega Was In
6 Scream 6 (2023) - 76%
Set one year after the latest Woodsboro killings, Scream 6 follows survivors Tara, Sam, Mindy, and Chad, who have moved to New York City to start a new life. As expected with a Scream movie, this peace never lasts long, and quickly they have to deal with another Ghostface spree. Again, Scream 6 proved many fans wrong about their initial concerns for the sequel, with its new location and a missing Sydney weirdly feeling like a breath of fresh air in an already rejuvenated franchise. What really makes it stand out, however, is getting to see Tara in all her glory, now physically recovered from her attacks.
Because of this, fans get to see Ortega play the final girl that she felt destined to be. Finally, she is involved in action sequences where she is able to fight back, with the stakes feeling much higher this time around. Compared to her sister, Sam, you can see how much stronger Tara is in battling her demons while still being able to see the scars beneath. Tara is also given a love interest in the form of Chad, which was unexpected but not unwelcome, helping to add a new layer to her character and showing a more vulnerable side to her.
5 You - 91%
After murdering Beck at the end of You season one, serial killer and monogamist Joe Goldberg moves to sunny Los Angeles, where he quickly develops an obsession with unsuspecting chef, Love Quinn. While there, he also regularly encounters his neighbor Delilah and her angsty younger sister, Ellie, portrayed by Jenna Ortega. While Ellie initially appears cautious around Joe, the pair quickly form a close bond that feels oddly familial. Ellie begins to teach Joe how to use social media, though she's unaware of his sinister motivations behind it.
After Delilah is murdered by Love Quinn, Ellie is left to fend for herself, although Joe promises to provide for her financially. Ortega's portrayal of Ellie is gut-wrenching, as it highlights the way in which predatory and dangerous men take advantage of naivety and vulnerability.
4 Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous - 92%
Canonically existing within the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is an animated television show distributed by Netflix. It follows a group of teenagers who are given the opportunity to visit Camp Cretaceous, a dinosaur camp on Isla Nublar. However, the visit quickly goes wrong as the dinosaurs begin to escape, and the campers are left stranded. The events of the show take place a few days before the events of Jurassic World, and as it progresses, you can begin to see the two very different installments intertwine together.
Ortega plays Brooklynn, a savvy vlogger who gains a following after filming herself in various interesting locations across the globe. Despite being purely animated, Ortega's voice work is a clear standout in the show, and you can really gain a sense of Brooklynn's personality and interests throughout.
3 The Fallout (2021) - 93%
The Fallout is Jenna Ortega's most raw film to date, grappling some incredibly heavy themes. The film follows Vada, who finds herself stuck in a bathroom with two other students, Mia and Quinton, during a school shooting. As the story progresses, Vada and Mia embark on an unlikely friendship that is bonded by the pair's trauma, while also leaning on Quinton. The film does a fantastic job of showing the true effects of a school shooting, without needing to show any unnecessary carnage for shock value. Not only does Vada struggle to make sense of what she experienced, but she also struggles to reacclimate to all areas of her life, even taking ecstasy to attempt to cope with her trauma.
Jenna Ortega takes on the world with complete sincerity and grace, and you can feel how sympathetic she is to her own character through the screen. Vada is perhaps the character that really highlights all of Ortega's acting capabilities, showing her full range of emotions and quips, breaking her away from her typical horror movie castings. It's a harrowing portrayal that is sure to bring viewers to tears and stick with them long after the credits roll, bringing awareness to the harsh reality of what thousands of children across America have experienced first hand.
Related: Jenna Ortega's Best Performances, Ranked
2 X (2022) - 94%
Compared to her usual fiery characters, Ortega takes a more muted approach in X. Set in rural Texas, a group of adult film stars set out to make an X-rated movie in a guest house on a farm owned by a reclusive elderly couple, Pearl and Howard. However, once the couple gets wind of what the group is up to, it quickly becomes a bloodbath, leaving Maxine Minx to fight for her life. Ortega plays Lorraine, the girlfriend of amateur director RJ, who comes on the trip to help with the sound equipment. Lorraine is given the cruel nickname Church Mouse by the others, due to her faith and shy nature. Lorraine is unable to understand p*rnography, but quickly becomes entranced by it and asks if she can be in the film herself.
Given Ortega's already prominent presence in the horror genre by the time X released in theaters, it became clear to see why audiences believed she would be the final girl yet again. However, X subverted many genre tropes by making Maxine the final girl, with promiscuity usually used to indicate which characters would be next on the chopping block. Ortega's Lorraine is a clear standout nonetheless, as she sheepishly navigates the dangerous situation they find themselves and delivers one of the best horror movie screams to date.
1 Jane the Virgin - 100%
Jane the Virgin tells the story of Jane Villanueva, a young 23-year-old woman who is devoted to her Catholic faith. Much of her devotion comes from her fear of being like her mother, who had Jane at a very young age and had to raise her as a single parent. Because of this, Jane is determined to remain a virgin until marriage, despite her passionate relationship with her boyfriend, Michael. However, during a routine appointment with her gynecologist, she is accidentally artificially inseminated, falling pregnant with her boss Raphael's child.
Ortega plays a 10-year-old Jane in flashbacks, appearing in just 30 episodes of the show. However, despite her rare appearances, she had enough screen presence to catch the attention of various studio executives, including ones at Disney. Because of this, Jane the Virgin helped to push Ortega into stardom, and she was then cast in Disney's Stuck in the Middle and Elena of Avalor, paving the way for her incredibly successful career further down the line.
