With the release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in early September, Jenna Ortega has added yet another Halloween classic to her repetoire, building on her success as the heroine in the “Scream” franchise alongside her on-screen sister, Melissa Barrera. Ortega’s fame has undeniably skyrocketed as the new face of horror, thanks to her standout roles not only in “Scream,” but as the titular character in the Netflix’s “Wednesday” and as Lorraine in Ti West’s “X.” Â
With her debut as Astrid in the “Beetlejuice” sequel coming right before the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, this a prime time to discuss the young star’s filmography and impact on representation. Â
a history of hispanic representation
While representation in the film industry has improved over the years, it often still falls short. Although meaningful representation has become a more recent and developing accomplishment, Hispanics in film is not exactly a new feat. Hispanic women have been type-casted and sexualized in media since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If not casted directly, characters were typically white-washed in media by white actors, creating a lack of real representation. Â
Some of the most popular characters in film history are infamously white-washed— including Wednesday Addams in the 1990’s movies. While Wednesday is a mixed character of Hispanic descent, it wasn’t until Ortega’s portrayal that we were actually able to see a Hispanic actress play her in the last 30 years.Â
As a mixed-Hispanic girl growing up with a love for Halloween and watching “The Addams’ Family” every year, this was particularly powerful from my perspective, and I was ecstatic to see Ortega play the role in the way it was intended to be. Â
Ortega and the horror scene
Similarly, the “Scream” movies were some of the foundational horror movies I watched (and I do consider them horror movies, even though there is a lot of debate on whether thrillers are horror). I fell in love with the franchise, but I didn’t ponder much on the lack of representation. As is a rite-of-passage for many Hispanic young adults coming-of-age, I realized later how many movies lack representation, and with the addition of Barrera and Ortega, this was one resolution to a franchise that previously lacked a level of diversity.
Ortega’s presence in the film is undoubtedly part of the ongoing success, as her skyrocketing fame brought a new generation of movie-goers and horror fanatics to the franchise. Although Ortega will not be returning for “Scream 7,” her previous role in the series has set her on track to be one of Generation Z’s biggest scream-queens.
“X” differs from most modern horror films, as the film follows a more classic Hollywood-slasher approach. The success of this film led to two more films being made, and just because Ortega isn’t the star of these, doesn’t mean her presence wasn’t tangible.
Personally, I loved the character she played—a church girl taken over by a desire for stardom and freedom—and how different this role was from anything else I’ve seen from her. In a dream world, I would’ve loved if she was casted in Pearl instead (even though this would’ve been nearly impossible given the entire plot of Pearl).Â
the rising generation
It is hard to deny that Ortega’s performances have marked her as one of the most valuable assets in modern horror. Even America Ferrera gave a shoutout to Ortega during her Critics Choice Awards acceptance speech, saying she “had the chance to bring through some deeply layered Latina characters and characters that I could not have seen growing up.” Ferrera said she sees this beautiful representation “expanding in the next generation of talent like my beloved Ariana Greenblatt…and in Jenna Ortega, and in Selena Gomez”. Â
To me, this is the best and highest use of storytelling to affirm one another’s full humanity, to uphold the truth that we are all worthy of being seen.”
America Ferrera (2024)
As Hollywood’s newest “it girl,” it is refreshing and empowering to see a young Hispanic woman achieve success in an area that lacked representation for decades. Despite a history of white washing in media, Ortega says she wants “young girls to look up at the screen and feel like they [don’t] have to change their appearance to be deemed beautiful or worthy.” Ortega said she hopes her career experiences “open doors for other people.” Â
See Ortega in her latest movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in theaters now or catch up on season one of Netflix’s “Wednesday” in time for the anticipated 2025 release. Â