EXCLUSIVE: Jenna Ortega on Taking Roles That Don’t Fall Into Latina Stereotypes
Jenna Ortega attends the premiere of "Hurry Up Tomorrow" at AMC Lincoln Square on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Jenna Ortega is proud to bring Latina representation to the big screen.
Earlier this week, Remezcla caught up with the actress at the premiere of her upcoming film Hurry Up Tomorrow with The Weeknd. Ortega opened up about taking on roles that don’t fall into Latina stereotypes and if she foresees doing more producing work in the future.
After playing iconic roles in hit Netflix series Wednesday and the Scream franchise, Ortega is now teaming up with a pop star. She stars in The Weeknd’s film Hurry Up Tomorrow, which is also based off his album of the same name. Ortega enters the surreal universe of a heightened and unstable version of The Weekend in the psychological thriller.
Remezcla’s freelance contributor Brenda Barrientos caught up with her on the red carpet in New York City. Ortega talked about the importance of taking on Latina roles that aren’t based on tropes or stereotypes.
“For young girls to be able to see somebody who looks like them or understands them or has some sort of, you know, a similar connection with, I can only hope that that’s what I could be for other people,” Ortega said.
“I hate to assume, but it’s important to me that people are able to see big, great things for themselves. If they want to act, or if they want to do something, I think it’s really important to encourage that and feed that part of a child’s brain when they’re young. What you’re consuming is very impactful.”
Ortega also serves as an executive producer of the movie. She told Remezcla that she would “100 percent” love to do more producing in the future and work with more Latino creatives in Hollywood.
“I think that’s something that also a lot of Latinos, you know, when we see each other at these events or, you know, or awards shows for ourselves, it’s something that’s very [important],” she said. “We always try to do it, but it’s hard to get us all together. Unfortunately, a lot of us are pretty busy.”
Hurry Up Tomorrow will open in theaters tomorrow, May 16.