Meet Jenna Ortega the New Star of ‘You’

At just 17, rising star Jenna Ortega is capturing audiences with her magnetic smile and her undeniable talent. The California born actress, a native of Coachella, has been acting since the age of 9, but her latest role in the psychological thriller is why everyone is buzzing about her. 

If you were hooked on the first season of You, starring Penn Badgley, which premiered last year (on Netflix), then season two, that just started post-Christmas, will have you wrapped up in no time. But first, a brief synopsis of this show: Badgley stars as Joe, a quiet and very cute guy who initially appears to just be looking for love. Except he goes about it in a deranged and psychotic way. Last season, (we won’t spoil it for you for if you haven’t seen it), things ended very badly, so Joe left New York City and has now (season two) begun a new life in California. Once again, he is looking for love. Who will his latest victim, I mean, love interest be? Well, we have yet to tune in (we’re saving it for this weekend), but we do know that this young Latina actress is getting rave reviews. 

Ortega stars as Ellie, a teenager living in Cali with aspirations of being a filmmaker. She’s witty, sassy, and something tells us she and Joe will get along fabulously — and that could be a bad thing for both of them. 

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“It was perfect because everybody is constantly rooting for Joe because everyone is in love with this serial killer, and every once in a while it’s nice for things to not go his way,” Ortega said in an interview with Teen Vogue about her new show. “And it makes total sense at this point. Teens, we’re so savvy with phones and technology. Of course [Ellie] noticed.”

While Ortega is breaking out on You, the actress has been perfecting her craft for quite some time. She’s been on Jane The Virgin, Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, Insidious: Chapter 2 and Iron Man 3, among others. Next year is also going to be a big year for her. She’ll be starring in two big films, The Babysitter 2 and Yes Day, which stars Jennifer Gardner and Edgar Ramírez. 

But for now, Ortega, who comes from a big family, is concentrating on the here and now, which may or may not include college. 

“Education has always been a priority for me, and I’m considering applying to a 4-year-program at a cool school somewhere on the East Coast like Sarah Lawrence or New York University to get away [from California] and because I love New York so much,” she said in an interview with People magazine. “But, I’m also considering community college.”

Whatever Ortega decides, we’re sure it’ll be the right choice for her. If her educational path is anything like her career, we’re sure she’ll get very far.