Jenna Ortega poses with her mom as she promotes Disney’s “Stuck in The Middle”.Photo:Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
While Jenna Ortega playedWednesday Addamson-screen, off-screen, she grew up with five siblings and her parents, Edward and Natalie Ortega.
The family grew up near Palm Springs in the California desert, and Jenna’s mom would make the long drive to Los Angeles for her daughter’s auditions. The sacrifice paid off because Jenna landed roles as early as 12, appearing onJane the VirginandStuck in the Middle.
But who are Edward and Natalie Ortega? Read on to learn about their road to parenting Jenna Ortega and the support they have provided throughout her career.
They have six children
Jenna Ortega with her family.Jenna Ortega Instagram
Jenna Ortega Instagram
Jenna is thefourth in a family of six kids. “I have five siblings — two brothers and three sisters,” Jenna told PEOPLE in 2019. “I’m the fourth kid. We all have scattered schedules and are kind of all over the place, but when we do get to spend time with each other we try to do that. We love to talk smack with one another and be goofy … but we’re all very supportive of each other.”
They raised their family in a famous location
Edward and Natalie made their home in Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, California — the same place where the famousCoachella music festivalhas occurred since 1999, three years before Jenna was born. She started attending the festival when she was a teenager.
“Once you get to high school, it’s what all the ‘cool kids’ do,” she told PEOPLE. “Weekend 2 is locals' weekend. I have seen some incredible acts that I feel like I would have never seen otherwise. One year I saw Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. There’s such a wide variety of music and there’s something new to appreciate every time we go. I don’t think I’ll ever be over the hype.”
Natalie got Jenna her big break
Jenna Ortega attends the Miss Me and Cosmopolitan’s spring campaign launch event in 2016.JB Lacroix/WireImage
JB Lacroix/WireImage
According toCosmopolitan,Jenna’s start in Hollywood came from Natalie showing her mom pride. She posted a video of Jenna to Facebook, and a family friend connected her to a casting agent.
They set examples of a strong work ethic
Natalie is an emergency room nurse, and Edward is a businessman. “So, four or five times a week,my mom was a full-time ER nurse, but she would drive me — it was a six or seven-hour round trip L.A. and back for auditions … and she has five other kids,” Jenna said onJimmy Kimmel Live!“She was one of the best ones, too.”
They encourage Jenna’s career but don’t spoil her
Jenna’s first big role was in 2014, when she was just 12, playing a youngGina RodriguezinJane the Virgin.“I have a very supportive family,” Jenna said at a press conference. “They sacrificed a lot so that I could do what I do.”
The actress also said her parents have"no interest whatsoever” in the entertainment industry. She continued, “I could come home from work with cool people, prominent people, people I looked up to, and they weren’t interested. They were like, ‘Hey, you didn’t do the dishes before you left, so you’re going to have to do them all week.' "
They watched Jenna hostSaturday Night Livein 2023
Jenna Ortega on ‘Saturday Night Live’.Will Heath/NBC/Getty
Will Heath/NBC/Getty
WhenJenna hostedSaturday Night Livein March 2023, she gave her parents a shout-out in her opening monologue. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t old enough to watchSNLyet, so I took a tour of theSNLbuilding with my parents,” she said on the show. “They said, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if you hosted someday?’ It seemed impossible then, but now I’m here tonight and my parents are in the audience.”
They prioritize their heritage and their family traditions
Edward is Mexican American, and Natalie is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. In aPopSugarinterview, Jenna described celebrating birthdays with pinatas and making tamales at Christmas. “My dad makes amazing tacos and carne asada and my mother makes the best homemade beans,” Jenna told PopSugar when she was just 13. “My siblings and I cannot get enough! They are probably my favorite food.”
Jenna and her parents travel the world together
In February 2023, Jenna and Natalie traveled together to Paris.They were spottedat the Louvre and at a Paris Saint-Germain soccer match where Jenna wore a custom jersey with her name on it. Just a month later,Natalie posted a phototo Instagram with Markus in New York City.
In fact, the family loves to travel so much that when Nataliewished Jenna a happy birthdayon Instagram in 2019, she used a selfie of the pair on an airplane. “Happy Birthday Reeree!” she captioned the photo. “I love you so much and am so so proud of you ❤️.”
They play soccer as a family activity
Jenna Ortega in NYC in 2023.Diggzy/Shutterstock
Diggzy/Shutterstock
When Jenna was talking toThe Cutabout her Adidas ambassadorship, she said, “It’s really, really exciting for me and my family as well. We were a really big soccer family, and we would have our little competitions on the weekend. And we always wore Adidas to practices.”
Natalie shows her family pride in big ways
Jenna Ortega at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards.Todd Williamson/NBC/NBC/Getty
Todd Williamson/NBC/NBC/Getty
source: people.com
