Actor Jenna Ortega recently revealed that she was on the verge of stepping away from acting before landing her breakthrough role in the hit Netflix series ‘You’. Quoting a Variety article, an ANI report yesterday stated that Ortega had begun questioning her future in the industry as a teenager after transitioning out of children’s television.

“I didn’t know what else I was gonna do,” Ortega said in the Variety interview, reflecting on a period of uncertainty after leaving early projects, the ANI report added.

As per Variety, she explained that she had to reintroduce herself to casting directors and prove her range, which made her consider quitting altogether. “It just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to,” she added, noting that discussions about stepping away had gone on for months with her team.

Ortega began her career with roles in shows such as ‘Richie Rich’ and ‘Stuck in the Middle’. However, the uncertainty of transitioning into more mature roles led her to briefly consider ending her acting journey.

The turning point came in 2019 when she was cast as Ellie Alves in season 2 of ‘You’. Her character, the neighbour of Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, marked a significant shift in her career.

Recalling her experience on set, Ortega said she immediately connected with the work. “I loved it and had the best time,” she said, adding, “I thought, ‘Yeah, there’s no way I could let this go’.”

Since then, Ortega’s career has seen a steady rise.  She has headlined films such as ‘X’, ‘Scream VI’, ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ and ‘Death of a Unicorn’. She also leads Netflix’s Emmy-winning series ‘Wednesday’. (Photo courtesy Helen Sloan/Netflix)