During a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Jenna Ortega discussed representation in Hollywood.
The Wednesday actress, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, shared that when she was younger, she found it “really hard” to land roles. As a child actor, she said, “You’re either the younger version of someone or you’re playing somebody’s daughter. And there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for.”
The You actress even considered dyeing her hair blonde to “look like Cinderella,” but decided against it. “I thought, I don’t want other young girls to look up at the screen and feel like they have to change their appearance to be deemed beautiful or worthy,” she told the outlet.
She also commented on the complexity involved in representing a specific population. “I wasn’t born in a Spanish-speaking country, I haven’t spent a lot of time in Mexico, and I’ve never been to Puerto Rico … So there’s a feeling of not being worthy enough to be a proper representative,” Ortega added. “I want all people of Latin descent to be able to see themselves onscreen. I want to feel that I could open doors for other people.”