So, we’ve all come to know Netflix’s leading ‘chica,’ Jenna Ortega. You might’ve caught her in the Scream movies before she hit it big, but for us regular folks, it was likely Wednesday that really grabbed our attention. Suddenly, she’s the ‘it’ girl of 2022, and all eyes are on her.
With her enigmatic Aubrey Plaza-esque aura, petite stature, and undeniable talent, she was destined to be crowned the queen of Netflix. Soon enough, people started prying into her life more and more as time went on. From smoking scandals involving her concerned mother to rumors about her dating Johnny Depp, we’ve heard it all.
Unsurprisingly, her heritage has long been a topic of discussion, especially her knack for speaking more than one language. Or at least, the lack thereof. On that note, here’s all the nitty and gritty regarding her linguistic skills.
Can Jenna Ortega speak Spanish?
As far as we can see, Jenna Ortega does not speak Spanish (or is at least not proficient enough to feel confident speaking it in public). Although born in Palm Desert, California, the 21-year-old actress’s parents both hail from Mexican and Puerto Rican backgrounds. Ortega’s grandmother immigrated from Sinaloa, Mexico, while her grandfather was Puerto Rican. This indicates that her family’s lineage traces back to Latin America.
However, as is often the case in immigrant families in the U.S., the native language is often not emphasized to encourage their children’s integration into the American cultural landscape. This means that Ortega did not grow up in a Spanish-speaking household. In no way, shape, or form does this negate her Latina roots, even if some insist on defining culture or heritage solely based on language.
Ortega’s language skills became a topic of discussion when Anya Taylor-Joy, a dual American and British citizen with a strong Latin heritage from both Latin America and Latin Europe, introduced her husband in Spanish to the singer Rosalía at the Dior fashion show in Paris. Ortega was nearby, seeming to understand the conversation but choosing not to participate, which immediately sparked an online debate about her ancestral legitimacy. To those people, we say: mind your own business.