Jenna Ortega is V MAGAZINE’s latest cover star for V154. The 22-year-old Hollywood heavyweight gets captured like never before for the lens of photographer Zoey Grossman, styled by V’s Senior Fashion Editor Anna Trevelyan for the Summer 2025 print issue. In conversation with Grammy-winning musician The Weeknd, the two powerhouses sit down to discuss their unique experience as co-stars in their new movie, HURRY UP TOMORROW, Jenna’s whirlwind rise to superstardom with the hit series WEDNESDAY, Ortega’s interest in production and directing, and much more.
Jenna on getting to know The Weeknd on set of HURRY UP TOMORROW:
“I just felt so lucky to be a part of your story, and it was so nice getting to know you. It was weird because I felt like I was getting to know you through [my character] Anima, because she’s kind of holding up a mirror to your character the whole time. And while I know it’s not an exact representation of you, I think it’s still a really fascinating character study. I like it when stories aren’t linear, and the audience has to ask questions. I found myself asking questions and then answering them too, through the dialogue and the script pages alone, which is really cool.”
Jenna on working on an original film that she’s written:
“I have a script that I’ve known that I was going to make for almost 10 years. It’s weird because it’s something that I thought of when I was younger and when I first started out in this field, and it’s only now that I’m actually starting to take the steps to get it made, which is really interesting. I think learning how to produce and being a part of projects in that way has informed me so much. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes that I wasn’t aware of. I’m just putting the puzzle pieces together in my head. So I think I needed a few years of that under my belt to understand the order of doing things.”
Jenna on missing the anonymity of her life prior to the explosive debut of WEDNESDAY:
“I mean, that was just a few years ago. I’d done some shows and was working in film, but it wasn’t until that show, the day of the week [Wednesday], that just catapulted everything. As grateful as I am, and it was a dream role, it was so nice to have had way less pressure. I love the hustle. There’s something about the actor’s come-up and struggle that I really enjoyed. Sleeping in the cars, driving all around LA for auditions, and waiting for weeks, feeling sick to my stomach that I wasn’t going to get the job I really wanted. The adrenaline rush of it all was so exciting. I don’t know if it’s common, or if you can relate to this, but it kind of feels like you’re perpetually in this loop of anxiety. I hold so much more pressure and weight in my body than I ever did, and I think it’s just kind of the expectation of it all.”
Jenna on her upcoming film with Natalie Portman, THE GALLERIST:
“That was a dream. We were doing season two of Wednesday in Ireland. And I got this script in my inbox. And then I called my agents immediately, and I said, ‘When can I meet this director? When is she available? Can I talk to her tomorrow?’ So we did, and then I pretty much had a series of interviews with her. I was going back to back, and I felt like I knew this character like the back of my hand. She’s society ridden. She’s kind of a freak. She lives in this moral gray zone, and maybe she thinks she’s more ethical than she is. So there was something about her that I just found incredibly interesting.”
Jenna on the rumors surrounding the remake of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE with Taylor Russell:
“I would love to do that. We’ve talked about it, and that’s exciting. We met. She’s sweet, and I’m in love with Taylor’s work, and that storyline is so good, and it could exist in such a different way now because of the internet. It’s so much harder to have this stalker who you can’t find in two seconds on Instagram. So you could take this story but then make it something completely new, and to do it with someone like her, I would just die to work with her. That definitely would be a passion of mine, but it’s early.”
Photography: Zoey Grossman
Fashion: Anna Trevelyan
Hair: Bobby Eliot
Makeup: Raoul Alejandre
Manicure: Thuy Nguyen
[Photo Credit: Zoey Grossman for V Magazine, Courtesy of V Magazine]
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