Jenna Ortega experienced an unprecedented rise in fame following the release of Netflix’s Wednesday. The 20-year-old actress has gained over 10 million new followers on Instagram since the premiere of Wednesday on November 23, 2022.
On the day Wednesday premiered, Ortega already had an impressive following of 9.39 million followers on Instagram. However, as of the writing of this article, she boasts a staggering 25.1 million followers.
Meanwhile, that number is continuing to rise. There was one day after the premiere when she gained 1 million extra followers in just 24 hours.
The skyrocketing of her popularity isn’t surprising considering the preoccupation with Wednesday. The Tim Burton-directed series is the first live-action Addams family adaption since the 90s.
Since its release, Wednesday has been smashing records, beating Stranger Things’ previous record for the most watched show on Netflix in one week. Recently, Wednesday was streamed for over 400 million hours in one week.
As Wednesday continues to capture attention, so does Ortega. As the lead character, Wednesday Addams, Ortega is the backbone of the show and viewers want to know more about this talented, rising young actress.
Viewers can’t get enough of Jenna Ortega and Wednesday
Just over two weeks after its premiere, Wednesday is still dominating Netflix’s charts. Much of the intrigue is due to the talent of Burton and Ortega.
Additionally, another large part of the interest is the enduring legacy of the Addams family. The macabre family has been around since they first appeared in Charles Addams’ cartoons in the 1930s.
However, over the years, they have become a household name in the United States. Viewers love the idea that a family can be different and unconventional, but also delightful and endearing.
Viewers have also been enamored by the touches of an oddity in the series. In particular, Wednesday’s dance scene, where she dances to The Cramps’ Goo Goo Muck, has gone viral.
Given that it is Wednesday, her dance is anything but conventional. Despite being odd, she performed with such confidence that she mesmerized viewers, and now millions of users are recreating her dance on TikTok.
Ortega revealed that she choreographed the dance herself, which only increases how impressive it is.
Ortega is an actress on the rise
While Wednesday is raising interest in Ortega, she has been on the Hollywood scene since was just 10 years old. She started her career with small roles and cameos in such films as Iron Man 3 and Insidious: Chapter 2.
By 2016, she started leading her own show when she booked the role of Harley Diaz on the Disney Channel Original, Stuck in the Middle. She portrayed Diaz from 2016 – 2018.
Her Disney role led to her booking several more starring roles in family-friendly shows and films. She provided her voice for Netflix’s Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous and also starred in the streaming service’s Yes Day film.
Recently, she left her Disney career behind as she took on more mature roles. She also showed a penchant for horror with her roles in Scream (2022), Studio 666, X, and American Carnage.
Despite boasting an impressive career, Ortega’s true breakthrough came with her role as Wednesday. She is the seventh actress to portray the character in some capacity, but she managed to do justice to the iconic character, with her iteration being deemed one of the best to date.
Next year she’ll be starring alongside big names like Martin Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones in Finestkind and Miller’s Girl. Rumors state she is also being eyed by some big franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), given her rapid rise to fame.