Key Takeaways:
• Rising star Jenna Ortega now thrives in horror roles that she once feared.
• She admitted how films like Child’s Play and Beetlejuice terrified her as a kid.
• Despite her initial fears, Ortega is now a leading name in the horror genre.
From Scaredy-Cat to Horror Icon
At just 21, actress Jenna Ortega earned the title of Hollywood’s new scream queen. She’s made a name for herself appearing in Netflix’s Wednesday, Scream, and the upcoming Beetlejuice 2. Ortega, once afraid of the horror genre, now commands it with passion.
Overcoming Childhood Trauma with Chucky
Chucky, the infamous doll from the 1988 horror movie Child’s Play, struck a nerve in Ortega as a kid. The memory of first watching the film at a young age is vivid in her mind. She chanced upon it while her parents were out, leaving her uncle to look after her. Her fear ran so deep that her family once spent 30 nerve-wracking minutes looking for her. But before long, they found her hiding in a closet, rocking back and forth out of fear. Today, Ortega laughs at those memories, using them as motivation to pursue her successful career.
The Transformation: From Afraid to Empowered
Those days of hiding at home are now a thing of the past. Ortega faced her fears and turned them into a key part of her career. Today, she’s a leading lady in the horror industry. The 21-year-old Californian went from being an extra to landing a starring role as Wednesday Addams, paving her way to stardom.
Facing Beetlejuice: A Childhood Fear Revisited
Now, Ortega is set to star in Tim Burton’s sequel to Beetlejuice, despite admitting that the original movie scared her when she was younger. In a chat with the Today show, she admitted that she got quite a fright when she met Michael Keaton dressed as Beetlejuice for the first time. A practical joke from the actor brought back all the scares from the movie she had watched as a child. But Ortega chuckled it off and carried on with the show.
Ahead: A Bright Future in Horror Cinema
There’s no doubt that big things are ahead for Ortega. With her immense talent and her ability to transform fear into art, she’s expected to become one of the highest-grossing stars in Hollywood. The once little girl, terrified of Chucky and Beetlejuice, is now setting the stage for a prosperous career in the horror genre.
Fans can catch the much-anticipated Beetlejuice 2 in theaters on September 6, 2024, while those looking to revisit Chucky can find Child’s Play available for streaming on Prime Video. As for Ortega, the once-scaredy cat has definitely found her calling, transforming her childhood fear into an acclaimed and thriving career in horror cinema.
Though her journey started in a corner, hiding from a scary movie, she’s proven that fear can indeed be harnessed. That same energy that once held her back, now propels her forward, making her one of Hollywood’s freshest and most promising scream queens.
