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Wednesday star Jenna Ortega says she nearly quit acting before landing her breakout role in Netflix thriller You

Molly Edwards2026-04-09Fantasy Shows
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega says she nearly quit acting before landing her breakout role in Netflix thriller You

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega says she nearly quit acting before landing her breakout role in Netflix thriller You

News
By Molly Edwards published 9 April 2026

Jenna Ortega nearly walked away from acting

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Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams
(Image credit: Netflix)
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Jenna Ortega might now be one of the biggest stars of the big and small screen, but she almost walked away from acting entirely.

"I didn't know what else I was going to do," Ortega said on the Big Bro with Kid Cudi podcast. "I've never really considered anything else – more-so recently, just out of sake of curiosity and wanting another life experience. But, when I was a teenager, I'd gotten off a children's show, and I didn't know what I was going to do. I had to prove myself and meet all these new casting directors who didn't know who I was.

"It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to," she added. "I was starting high school, and, you know, 'it was a good run' sort of thing. We had talked about it for a few months, my team. And then, I think I booked that show You, and then I went on that set, and I loved it, and had the best time, and then I thought, 'Yeah, there's no way I could let this go.'"

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Ortega played Ellie Alves in You, a teenage girl whom Joe Goldberg, the Netflix show's serial killer protagonist, befriends. After You, Ortega went on to star as Tara in Scream 5 and Scream 6, as well as Astrid Deetz in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, and she now plays the title role in Netflix's Addams Family adaptation Wednesday.

Wednesday season 3 doesn't have a release date yet, but Netflix has confirmed it's officially happening. Season 1 is the streamer's biggest English-language show ever.

While you wait for Wednesday, check out our guide to all the most exciting upcoming TV shows to fill out your watchlist.

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Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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