In the comedic television series Jane the Virgin on The CW, which ran from 2014 to 2019, Ortega played a recurring role as a younger Jane Villanueva, played by Gina Rodriguez in her adult role. Ortega said that she didn’t have “anything overwhelmingly special” about her audition and blamed her casting on Rodriguez’s likeness. Congratulating Ortega on her performance, Declan Gallagher of Entertainment Weekly said that “she eschews the trappings of a typical child actor”. Additionally, Ortega appeared in the Netflix series Richie Rich (2015) and the direct-to-video comedy film The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014). As Anna Chapa, Ortega had an appearance in the 2015 movie After Words. She was called “adorable” by The Los Angeles Times and “horribly cloying” by The Arizona Republic.
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As the middle kid out of seven siblings and an ambitious inventor named Harley Diaz, Ortega starred in the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle from 2016 to 2018. “One of the best days of my life” was her statement upon receiving the part. Ortega thought that being a celebrity on the program was similar to reality television, and she took inspiration from her own family and her interactions with her brothers. Ortega “commands this role, pleading her case as a long-suffering middle kid while finding the humor in the many calamities that befall her efforts to shine,” according to Common Sense Media, which applauded her performance. Three Imagen Award nominations for Best Young Actor—Television went to Ortega, who won the title in 2018. In Elena and the Secret of Avalor (2016) and Elena of Avalor (2016–2020), she also provided the voice of Princess Isabel.
The Netflix comedy-horror series Wednesday (2022), in which Ortega was cast as Wednesday Addams in May 2021, marked a “new chapter” in her career. In order to honor Gomez Addams’s ethnicity, the creative team looked for a Latina actress for the part. John Papsidera, the casting director, considered Ortega to be among the top young Latina actresses in Hollywood during that age. Director Tim Burton stated he could not envisage another actress playing Wednesday, and the casting team believed Ortega offered the role the empathy they were looking for. Because Ortega wanted to concentrate on her film acting and was afraid that working on another television series would keep her from getting the parts she wanted, she turned down the job many times. When Ortega found out about Burton’s participation, he changed his mind. Ortega undertook “the most physical transformation I’ve ever done” to be ready for the part. She changed her demeanor, speech pattern, and facial expressions in addition to chopping and coloring her hair black. Along with reading the original Addams Family comic and watching the 1960s television adaptation, Ortega also picked up the cello and picked up some German.
Ortega described the first season of Wednesday’s production as “the most overwhelming job” she had ever had and talked about how she was always confused and stressed about the series’ and the character’s development. Because she felt that the words and actions of her character did not fit her nature, Ortega claimed she had never “had to put my foot down on a set in the way that I had to on Wednesday”. Ortega would swap lines during certain takes without alerting the camera crew. The Wall Street Journal described Ortega as “a charismatic performer playing a character who is decidedly anti-charisma… she has a face that triumphs over deadpan” after the film’s release on Wednesday. Critics applauded Ortega’s performance extensively. Ortega was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe. She was also the second-youngest candidate in the category when it came to the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. After experiencing a negative creative experience while filming the program, she subsequently talked about how uncomfortable she felt about being well-known for her work on it.
In Scream VI, Ortega played Tara Carpenter once more. She claimed that compared to the last movie, when she “was screaming and crying the entire time,” her character had more personality in this one. Ortega took into account a number of the characteristics of Tara when constructing her personality, such as her sense of humor, favorite color, and style of clothing and cosmetics. Released in March 2023, Scream VI made approximately $169 million in revenue on a $33–35 million budget. Last Day Hollywood credited Ortega’s star power in part for the movie’s box office success. Owen Gleiberman of Variety lauded Ortega’s “surly spunk” in a review, while Slant Magazine stated that Ortega “fantastically embodie the role”. According to reports, Ortega left the Scream franchise in November 2023 because of scheduling issues with Wednesday’s second season production. She quit the franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter, because her request for seven-figure compensation was denied.
