Trailblazers Making Waves in Hollywood

Jenna Ortega, who began acting at age nine and went on to play the younger version of Gina Rodriguez on “Jane the Virgin,” is one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood at age 21. In taking on the lead in Netflix’s “Wednesday,” she ably matched the high bar set by Christina Ricci in the ’90s “Addams Family” movies, earning Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her portrayal of the beloved character. “Wednesday is technically a Latina character and that’s never been represented,” Ortega said when the series debuted. “Any time that I have an opportunity to represent my community, I want that to be seen.” As she told Cosmopolitan, she chooses her roles with care: “I feel like the Latinx community, first of all, they’re not often shown on camera in general. But they’re also oftentimes not shown in a positive light. I never want to play a maid and I never want to play a cartel leader’s daughter. I would much rather play a person of power, a powerful character in a positive way.” In 2021, she published her first book, “It’s All Love: Reflections for Your Heart & Soul,” a self-help book for teens. In 2018, she visited a facility for undocumented children who had been separated from their parents, with “I Do Care, And U Should Too” emblazoned on her jacket, a rebuke to then-First Lady Melania Trump’s “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” coat that she wore to visit immigrant kids at a border detention center. The actress is adding producing to her wheelhouse with the upcoming romantic drama “Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall” and will star in Trey Edward Shults’ next film, alongside Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan. — Sharon Knolle