When I was younger, getting to watch TV at night was the best way to wind down and relax after getting home from school and finishing my homework. Clicking on the television and scrolling through the endless possibilities of shows I could choose from was so fun. There were so many options!
Typically, my scrolling would stop at “Stuck in the Middle”. Now, if you don’t know this series, it’s about a big, crazy family who always had some kind of adventure going on. Whether it was the younger boys having dump truck fights and destroying everything or one of the sisters having drama at school, I was hooked. Little tween Ella could watch this show for hours.
Yes, the storylines were always entertaining and drew me into the series, but it truly was the characters that kept me watching. The main character, the middle child, Jenna Ortega always stuck out to me. She was beyond entertaining with her big personality and charisma.Â
As I watched “Stuck in the Middle”, I always loved when Jenna Ortega came onto the TV screen. I knew I was going to be entertained for a while. It wasn’t until years later until I realized that there were numerous other series and even movies I could watch with Jenna Ortega in. 33 to be exact. (According to tvguide.com)Â
Jenna Ortega was born on September 27th (Happy Birthday!!) and is now 22 years old. She was born into a Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage family. As she grew up, she was blessed with the opportunity to be an actress. When she was a child, she starred in two hit television shows: “Jane the Virgin” and “Stuck in the Middle”. She even won an Imagen Award for the leading role she experienced in “Stuck in the Middle”.
Although she had these two wonderful accomplishments at such a young age, she has shared how hard it has been to find roles as a Latina performer. It is so heartbreaking to see how the television industry and the world can treat Hispanic actors and performers. Instead of focusing on this piece of someone’s identity, we should focus on their accomplishments. Jenna Ortega has been a star in the cast of “Wednesday”, “The Fallout”, “Yes Day”, “Miller’s Girl” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, just to name a few. It is truly astonishing to see the same girl who lit up my television screen on those days after school make a true name for herself as a Hispanic actress. If you haven’t had the blessing of seeing any of her extraordinary work, please go do so. You won’t be disappointed.