Jenna Ortega is ready to take her career in a new direction, revealing that she plans to move beyond acting to make her directorial debut. Known for her breakout role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday, Ortega is setting her sights on a new creative challenge: directing her first feature film.
Jenna Ortega’s Directorial Ambition: What Fans Can Expect
In an exclusive interview with V Magazine, Ortega opened up about her journey to becoming a director. “I have a script that I’ve known that I was going to make for almost 10 years,” she said. “It’s weird because it’s something that I thought of when I was younger and when I first started out in this field, and it’s only now that I’m actually starting to take the steps to get it made.”
The Wednesday star explained that the script has been in the works for nearly a decade, but she felt it was only recently that she had gained the experience necessary to bring the project to life. “I think I needed a few years of that under my belt to understand the order of doing things,” Ortega shared.
Ortega’s Vision for Her Future in Filmmaking
While Ortega remains passionate about her acting career, she made it clear that directing is her true calling. “I really want to direct. That’s probably the main thing that I want to do,” she said. “I see that for myself. I just feel that’s the way my brain wants to work and think. And that’s how I even view my acting sometimes.”
Though she has yet to direct her first film, Ortega’s passion for storytelling behind the scenes is already evident. She made her executive producer debut with Death of a Unicorn, a horror-comedy by A24, where she also starred. In addition, Ortega is set to executive produce and star in Hurry Up Tomorrow, a film directed by Trey Edward Shults.
Future Plans: Jenna Ortega’s Creative Shift
As for her long-term goals, Ortega expressed a desire to eventually step away from on-screen acting to focus solely on directing and producing. “I don’t want to be in the things that I create in the future, but starting out, because I’ve created more leverage for myself with a name as an actor, I may as well use that as a stepping stone,” she explained.
Ortega’s fans can expect to see more of her in the upcoming Wednesday Season 2, but it’s clear that her ambitions extend far beyond acting. With her growing experience and vision, it seems that the future of filmmaking may have a talented new director in the making.
