Jenna Ortega's mom laughed her off when she said she wanted to be an actor because she also wanted to be president — and only due to a crush on Barack Obama

Advertisement
Jenna Ortega's mom laughed her off when she said she wanted to be an actor because she also wanted to be president — and only due to a crush on Barack Obama
On the left: Jenna Ortega in March 2023. On the right: Barack Obama in August 2022.Evan Agostini/Invision/AP; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Netflix
  • Jenna Ortega said she had a crush on Barack Obama and wanted to become the first female president.
  • "I had phases where I clung to something and then made it my entire personality," she told Elle.
Advertisement

Jenna Ortega said that her mom didn't take her acting aspirations seriously at first because her crush on former President Barack Obama made her want to become a politician.

"I had phases where I clung to something and then made it my entire personality," said Ortega, 20, in a cover story for the April 2023 issue of Elle, released on Tuesday.

Writer Hunter Harris, who interviewed the "Wednesday" star, noted that the star's mom "laughed" when she said she wanted to be an actor "only because just two weeks before, her daughter had told her she had a huge crush on Barack Obama and wanted to become the first female president."

Despite having various phases of interest, the "Scream" star added, "To this day, I'm still obsessed with Obama."

Jenna Ortega's mom laughed her off when she said she wanted to be an actor because she also wanted to be president — and only due to a crush on Barack Obama
Jenna Ortega in November 2022.Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Ortega's desire to pursue acting turned into a full-fledged career, beginning with small roles in the 2010s.

Advertisement

As a child star, she played the younger version of Gina Rodriguez's titular character on the CW series "Jane the Virgin" and starred on the Disney Channel sitcom "Stuck in the Middle."

In recent years, Ortega's become one of the most recognizable young actors. She played Ellie Alvarez on season two of "You," starred alongside Jennifer Garner in the 2021 Netflix film "Yes Day," joined the "Scream" franchise as Tara Carpenter in 2022, and appeared in the thriller film "X."

Ortega's role as Wednesday Addams on the breakout Netflix teen series "Wednesday" led to a spike in Ortega's popularity.

She also received nominations at this year's Golden Globes and SAG Awards for her performance as the iconic character.

Ortega will reprise her role for the upcoming second season of "Wednesday" and return as Tara for "Scream 6," in theaters this Friday.

Advertisement
{{}}
Next StoryJenna Ortega told costar Emma Myers 'how beautiful and wonderful she was' every morning while filming 'Wednesday': 'I've never had that desire or urge for anybody else'