{"id":2365558,"date":"2026-04-09T13:55:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2365558"},"modified":"2026-04-09T13:55:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T13:55:31","slug":"jenna-ortega-almost-quit-acting-before-landing-this-role-it-felt-like-a-good-time-to-call-it-quits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jenna-ortega-almost-quit-acting-before-landing-this-role-it-felt-like-a-good-time-to-call-it-quits\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Ortega Almost Quit Acting Before Landing\u201c This\u201d Role: &#8216;It Felt Like a Good Time to Call It Quits&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jenna Ortega has revealed that she nearly quit acting before being cast on season 2 of Netflix&#8217;s <em>You<\/em>, which aired in 2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">She told Kid Cudi on his <em>Big Bro<\/em> podcast that she &#8220;had the best time&#8221; on set and thought &#8220;there&#8217;s no way I could let this go&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 23-year-old now plays the titular character in <em>Wednesday<\/em>, Netflix&#8217;s <em>Addams Family<\/em> adaptation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jenna-ortega-8742146\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jenna Ortega;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jenna Ortega&quot;}\">Jenna Ortega<\/a> was thinking about stepping away from acting until she landed the role of Ellie Alves on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/netflix-movies-april-2026-11935767\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Netflix;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Netflix&quot;}\">Netflix<\/a>&#8216;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/you-season-5-everything-to-know\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:You;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;You&quot;}\"><em>You<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The 23-year-old played the teenager in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/everything-to-know-you-season-2-netflix\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:season 2;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;season 2&quot;}\">season 2<\/a> of the psychological thriller series, which aired in 2019, marking a foray into more mature roles.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Penn Badgley and Jenna Ortega in &#8216;You&#8217; season 2<br \/>Credit: Beth Dubber\/Netflix<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Before <em>You<\/em>, Ortega was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/chica\/jane-the-virgin-jenna-ortega-on-pressures-disney-child-star\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:best known as a child star;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;best known as a child star&quot;}\">best known as a child star<\/a> who played a younger Jane on The CW&#8217;s comedy-drama <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/gina-rodriguez-justin-baldoni-celebrate-5th-anniversary-of-jane-the-virgin-finale-8687409\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jane the Virgin;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jane the Virgin&quot;}\"><em>Jane the Virgin<\/em><\/a> and Harley Diaz on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/disney-channel-stars-who-are-now-all-grown-up-and-married-photos-11917170\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Disney Channel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Disney Channel&quot;}\">Disney Channel<\/a>&#8216;s comedy <em>Stuck in the Middle<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWhen I was a teenager, I&#8217;d gotten off a children&#8217;s show, and I didn&#8217;t know what I was going to do,&#8221; she said on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/kid-cudi-how-he-found-complete-total-peace-exclusive-11796264\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kid Cudi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Kid Cudi&quot;}\">Kid Cudi<\/a>&#8216;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kJjjPZcKoOM&amp;t\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Big Bro;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Big Bro&quot;}\"><em>Big Bro<\/em><\/a> podcast in an episode released Wednesday, April 8. &#8220;I had to prove myself and meet all these new casting directors who didn&#8217;t know who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The actress added, &#8220;It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to. I was starting high school, and, \u2018it was a good run&#8217; sort of thing. We had talked about it for a few months with my team. And then, I think I booked that show <em>You<\/em>, and then I went on that set, and I loved it and had the best time. I thought, \u2018Yeah, there&#8217;s no way I could let this go.&#8217; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After playing Ellie, the downstairs neighbor of main character Joe Goldberg (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/penn-badgley\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Penn Badgley;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Penn Badgley&quot;}\">Penn Badgley<\/a>) on <em>You<\/em>, Ortega went on to gain wider recognition for playing the titular character on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/all-about-wednesday-cast-11782431\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Wednesday;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Wednesday&quot;}\"><em>Wednesday<\/em><\/a>, Netflix&#8217;s <em>Addams Family <\/em>adaptation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ortega went on to earn scream queen status following her parts in the slasher movies <em>Scream<\/em> (2022) and <em>Scream<\/em> <em>VI <\/em>(2023), but she <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jenna-ortega-drops-out-of-starring-in-next-scream-movie-reports-8406099\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:left the franchise ahead of;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;left the franchise ahead of&quot;}\">left the franchise ahead of <\/a><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jenna-ortega-drops-out-of-starring-in-next-scream-movie-reports-8406099\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Scream 7;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Scream 7&quot;}\"><em>Scream 7<\/em><\/a>, a day after news broke that her <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/melissa-barrera-says-her-scream-firing-was-shocking-at-the-time-8548820\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:co-star Melissa Barrera had been fired;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;co-star Melissa Barrera had been fired&quot;}\">co-star Melissa Barrera had been fired<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In <em>Scream 7<\/em>, which was released on Feb. 27, their <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/how-scream-7-explains-melissa-barrera-jenna-ortega-absence-11916180\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:absence was explained;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;absence was explained&quot;}\">absence was explained<\/a> by the setting being moved from New York City to the fictional small town of Pine Grove, Ind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\"><strong>PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer<\/strong>\u200b\u200b<strong>, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Recent years have also seen Ortega star in the fantasy comedy-horror <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/beetlejuice-2-everything-to-know-7498376\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Beetlejuice Beetlejuice;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Beetlejuice Beetlejuice&quot;}\"><em>Beetlejuice Beetlejuice<\/em><\/a> (2024), a sequel to 1988&#8217;s <em>Beetlejuice<\/em>, the thriller <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/the-weeknd-hurry-up-tomorrow-movie-trailer-8772775\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hurry Up Tomorrow;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Hurry Up Tomorrow&quot;}\"><em>Hurry Up Tomorrow<\/em><\/a> (2025) and comedy-horror <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/paul-rudd-jenna-ortega-death-of-a-unicorn-trailer-8763328\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Death of a Unicorn;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Death of a Unicorn&quot;}\"><em>Death of a Unicorn<\/em><\/a> (2025).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Her latest project, comedy-thriller <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/natalie-portman-jenna-ortega-charli-xcx-premiere-the-gallerist-2026-sundance-11891639\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Gallerist;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Gallerist&quot;}\"><em>The Gallerist<\/em><\/a>, premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and arrived in theaters on Jan. 24, while season 3 of <em>Wednesday <\/em>is currently in production, with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/winona-ryder\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Winona Ryder;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Winona Ryder&quot;}\">Winona Ryder<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/winona-ryder-boards-wednesday-season-3-11911740\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:joining the star-studded cast;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;joining the star-studded cast&quot;}\">joining the star-studded cast<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jenna-ortega-almost-quit-acting-before-landing-you-role-11946234\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Jenna Ortega has revealed that she nearly quit acting before being cast on season 2 of Netflix&#8217;s You, which aired in 2019 She told Kid Cudi on his Big Bro podcast that she &#8220;had the best time&#8221; on set and thought &#8220;there&#8217;s no way I could let this go&#8221; The 23-year-old now [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2365559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[457682,459682,312498,338340,23191,330682,349207],"class_list":["post-2365558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-big-bro","tag-ellie-alves","tag-jenna-ortega","tag-kid-cudi","tag-netflix","tag-psychological-thriller","tag-titular-character"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jenna-Ortega-Almost-Quit-Acting-Before-Landing-This-Role-It.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2365558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2365560,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2365558\/revisions\/2365560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2365559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2365558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2365558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2365558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}