Please Hollywood, Stop Typecasting Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega is a rising star in Hollywood, but despite her ongoing success, she has largely appeared to play the same role again and again. Ortega is just 22 years old, and has already starred in major motion pictures, the biggest hit show on Netflix, and a handful of horror movies, but despite the growing list of credits, Ortega appears to be repeatedly cast in a role that is largely the same in each new project.

There have been slight breaks from the norm, with some horror roles affording her the opportunity to play a more independent character, or someone who is not quite as resilient and tough, but, more often than not, her biggest roles and the ones that get the most attention have repeated some of the same elements that seem to rapidly be putting her into one specific typecast. And with the reveal of the new Death of a Unicorn trailer, it's clear to see that this film will be doing the same thing once again, which just begs the question when Ortega will get a chance to break the mold and play against this stereotype.

Jenna Ortega Keeps Playing The Same Characters In Movies & TV Shows

Ortega Is Rapidly Falling Into A Typecast

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Ortega has built her career on roles like playing Ellie in one season of You, then she got her biggest break to date when she played the title character in Tim Burton's modern adaptation of The Addams Family character, Wednesday. Then Ortega was cast in films like Miller's Girl, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, where her characters have all shared some key details in common. They are all angsty, moody teenagers, who tend to be incredibly bright and clever, but they have a rebellious streak.

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Ortega is obviously young enough to play this character, while also being incredibly intelligent and giving off outsider vibes, but it doesn't make sense for an actor to keep playing the same role again and again. Yes, they may be great in that capacity, but if Robert Downey Jr. never broke tradition to play Lewis Strauss, he wouldn't be an Oscar winner. Ortega has the acting chops, but she needs to be given the opportunities to actually explore different characters, rather than simply falling into a rut as one character.

Jenna Ortega Deserves Different Kinds Of Roles

Actors Thrive On Variety In Their Careers

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Actors need opportunities to explore their craft and tackle a variety of roles. Often, actors take time and audition for various roles, but casting directors can see them and more often give them a specific role that they feel fits their appearance. Ortega has spoken about being typecast due to her ethnicity early on, but now that she has started to find success, casting directors are putting her in roles that resemble what she has already done.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and clearly it is well within Ortega's skillset, but, it doesn't mean she should always fall into these roles. Whether she gets more opportunities to play mainstream characters, popular, action, villain, or hero, Ortega needs the opportunity to branch out and get familiar with various roles in order to ensure she has more opportunities, and a greater chance to show off her talents. This could also be done if Ortega is given the chance to explore other genres that she hasn't engaged with yet, but up to this point, many of her roles are just too similar.

Could Any Upcoming Jenna Ortega Movie Break Her Typecasting

There Is A Lot Coming Up For Ortega In 2025 & Beyond

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Fortunately, there does appear to be a couple of projects coming up for Ortega that could see her branch out in these ways. From an untitled project directed and written by J.J. Abrams, and co-starring Emma Mackey, Glen Powell, and Samuel L. Jackson, to a comedy sci-fi movie called Klara and the Sun, Ortega has a lot more coming in 2025 and beyond. She is also set to star in a musical thriller called Hurry Up Tomorrow which also stars The Weeknd, and Barry Keoghan, and The Gallerist, which has very little detail regarding the plot available, but Ortega will star alongside actors like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Natalie Portman, Daniel Brühl, and Zach Galifianakis.

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Death of a Unicorn appears to keep Ortega in her usual role, and Wednesday season 2 will be released in 2025, but neither of these will likely see Ortega tackle something new or different. However, with the long list of films on the horizon, and her star in Hollywood still on the rise, there will be plenty more opportunities to come. As long as Jenna Ortega keeps pushing for new kinds of roles, and directors see her potential, she has a bright and varied career ahead of her.