Jenna Ortega may be one of Hollywood’s most sought-after young stars today, but her path to becoming a fierce, fearless performer began in the most ordinary place imaginable — her mom’s bathroom. Before red carpets, horror franchises, or gothic couture, there was a single afternoon that quietly redirected her life.
Jenna recently opened up about that moment, sharing newly surfaced details of how her mother, Natalie Ortega, unknowingly planted the seed of her future. As a little girl preparing for her very first headshots, Jenna needed help portraying different “types” of characters. When it came time to create the look of the “popular girl,” her mom pulled out a burgundy lip liner, a swipe of mascara, and invited her daughter into a ritual Jenna had watched for years.
She remembers standing there, watching her mom transform — and then feeling herself transform too. “The second she handed me that makeup, I carried myself differently,” Jenna recalled. “It felt like she was passing something down. I was proud. I wanted to be more like her.”
That simple act became Jenna’s first lesson in character-building. It wasn’t just about lipstick or eyelashes — it was about identity, confidence, and the magic of stepping into someone else’s world. Makeup, she now says, became her earliest tool for disappearing into roles.
Growing up in a bustling household of six children in California’s Coachella Valley, Jenna’s passion for performing didn’t go unnoticed. After her mother posted a video of her acting online, an agent reached out — and at nine years old, Jenna booked her first job. From tiny commercials to horror hits, Disney projects, and critically acclaimed thrillers, her evolution has been steady and unstoppable.
Today, whether she’s wearing black lace on a red carpet or starring in another scream-filled blockbuster, Jenna still carries that memory — the day her mother handed her a lip liner and, without knowing it, opened the door to everything that came next.
