Why Jenna Ortega Doesn't Plan On Dating Anytime Soon

Thanks to her starring role in "Wednesday" — Netflix's modern re-imagining of "The Addams Family" — Jenna Ortega is one of Gen Z's most famous stars. Ortega has also appeared in many other projects, including "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous," "You," and "Elena of Avalor.However, her impressive acting experience hasn't come without its downsides, as Ortega revealed to The Times. "I used to do a Disney show when I was younger," said Ortega. "I was a little bit of a public figure, used to get recognized, or whatever." She continued, "When I look back, I think I was so out of place. I didn't understand where I was ... and you start to see Hollywood for the first time, and it's a bit intimidating, a bit off-putting ... I felt like I was a people's princess. I didn't really feel like myself. Then it started to slow down and I lived a pretty normal life!"

While the world is eagerly waiting to see just where Ortega's career streak takes her, her fans are waiting for her love life to blossom. Over the years, Ortega's love life has inspired a great deal of speculation, although she's never seemed interested in flaunting her supposed relationships. However, Ortega recently revealed that she's actually not dating or entertaining romance — and the reason is super inspiring.

In March 2023, Jenna Ortega shared her surprising opinion on rom-coms during an interview with Elle, which led to her revealing her stance on relationships. "I hate being googoogaga over a boy," said Ortega. "I think it's secretly a pride thing. It's a problem with a lot of female characters, that a lot of them are guy oriented or what they're expressing or emoting is based on a guy's position and a guy's story." She continued, "Maybe I am too obsessed with my work, but the idea of relationships stresses me out. And also being that vulnerable with someone and having to get to know someone that well and having someone see you for all that you are ... My brain knows that I don't need to think about that right now.

So there you have it. Ortega isn't chasing guys; she's building her career. But despite her reluctance to get caught up in the world of dating, she did share the identity of her celebrity crush during the "20 Questions: On Deadline" podcast. "When I was younger, Barack Obama was my first crush," shared Ortega (via Bustle). "I was obsessed with him. I watched the inauguration with goo-goo eyes on my face." 

Jenna Ortega may not be interested in dating, but she's obviously not opposed to her characters finding love. On "Wednesday," Ortega's character, Wednesday Addams was involved in a complex love triangle with two Nevermore Academy students, per Seventeen. And while neither of those potential romances ended happily, Ortega has had other chances to find fictional love. The most recent took place during "Scream VI," where Ortega played Tara Carpenter. 

While speaking with Collider, Ortega spoke about the romance between her character and Mason Gooding, who played Chad Meeks-Martin. "I think it's just being able to add that layer for Tara, and I think because we've only ever seen her in distress for four hours now, I think it's really wonderful for her to have some sort of relief, and especially in a character as lovely and cool as Chad," said Ortega. "Any sort of relationship is good for the evolution of a person, so I think that seeing Tara also have that added layer, I think it adds dimension and makes her more interesting," she added.