“I kind of have the same instincts that he does” — Jenna Ortega talks about her late grandfather who performed in drag to provide for his family

Jenna Ortega, in a cover story for the April/May issue of The Cut, opened up about her late grandfather, who came out later in life and performed drag at a club.

The Wednesday star, while speaking about her career in Hollywood, mentioned that she has the same instincts as her maternal grandfather. Ortega's grandfather moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx before settling in the West. He came out later in life and used to perform drag at a club called Daddy Warbucks, where he used competition prizes to provide for the family.

Her mother, Natalie, is a nurse, and her father, Edward, is a Mexican-American Businessman.

Ortega's grandfather died of AIDS-related complications before she was born. However, her mom tells her that she resembles him,

"I kind of have the same instincts that he does."

Although Ortega didn't get the chance to meet her grandfather, she has spoken about him and takes inspiration from him. While speaking to Grumpy Magazine in 2018, Ortega said,

"I never got the opportunity to meet him. And I don't want anybody else to have to go through that."

"My mom has always told us how amazing you were," says Jenna Ortega about her grandfather

This isn't the first time Jenna Ortega has spoken about taking inspiration from her grandfather. In 2017, Ortega appeared on the cover of Art and Understanding, a magazine dedicated to cultural response to the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. Ortega posted a quote from the magazine on Facebook, addressed to her late grandfather, and said,

"My mom has always told us how amazing you were. I'm sad we never got to you. You were very expressive, and loved to entertain, so I feel like I have a bit of you in me."

Ortega's grandfather also inspired her to become an ambassador for UNAIDS, a United Nations effort to fight against the AIDS epidemic through advocacy, prevention, and providing access to treatment.

Jenna Ortega is gearing up for her upcoming projects and will be starring alongside Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye in Hurry Up Tomorrow, the film companion of the singer's album of the same name.

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She is also scheduled to play an AI character, who is hired to help a dying child in Taika Waititi's Klara and the Sun.

In September 2024, Netflix confirmed that the second season of Wednesday to air in 2025, and in December 2024, Netflix mentioned that production for the popular series had officially wrapped.

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