Starting her career as a child actress, Jenna Ortega has since transitioned into a prominent figure in the industry. She won over the audience with her captivating performance in Netflix’s horror-comedy show Wednesday. The 20-year-old actress is also very proud of her heritage and has openly talked about how lovely and proud she feels to be a Latina. And she decided to embrace the Latin heritage of Wednesday Addams fully when she got the opportunity to portray the character in the Netflix series.
Ortega seemed to be joining the actor-comedian John Leguizamo, who has been speaking about the lack of Latin representation in Hollywood. She talked about the Latin stereotypes that have been used by the industry for the onscreen representation of Latin characters.
Jenna Ortega Talks About Latin Stereotypes in Hollywood
Jenna Ortega speaks on the stereotypical representation of Latin characters in shows and movies as she claimed that most Latin characters in shows or movies are based on the definition that has been set by the industry and usually represent them as housekeepers or cartel heirs.
She said, “Most Latin roles are stereotypical, the daughter of the cartel and the housekeeper.” So, when she received the offer to represent a popular Latin character, with a wide reach, she had the opportunity to change the stereotypical narrative. She said, “I can’t think of a Latina character who has the same reach [that] Wednesday Addams does.”
The Scream VI star is set to reprise her role as Wednesday Addams in the second season of the Netflix series. The streaming giant has not revealed any other details about the plot, cast, or release date of Wednesday’s second season.
Jenna Ortega on Representing Wednesday’s Latin Heritage
Whitewashing has been a long-time practice in Hollywood, where filmmakers cast white actors for racially diverse characters. Actor John Leguizamo recently made headlines for calling out Hollywood filmmakers for following the same practice.
Such was the case with Wednesday Addams, who, despite being a Latin character, was not depicted as of her Latin heritage until the 2022 Netflix series. Considering all this, it was important for Jenna Ortega, who is also of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, to represent the Latin heritage of her character.
“Wednesday is technically a Latina character and that’s never been represented, so I had an opportunity to give other girls that look like me some relatability.”
Although the Scream star was hesitant at first, she decided to take the role and believes that it might be the opportunity that would allow her to represent Wednesday’s cultural heritage, as Netflix was adamant to cast a Latin actor for the role.
Wednesday is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Discussing Films
