Before becoming the face of a generation and the undisputed modern-day “Scream Queen,” Jenna Ortega was one step away from stepping away from the spotlight for good.

In a recent interview on the Big Bro with Kid Cudi podcast, the actress confessed that during her adolescence she faced a professional identity crisis that led her to consider retirement before her career exploded. global.

The breaking point came after finishing her time on children's productions like Disney Channel's "Stuck in the Middle." Ortega, who was starting high school at the time, felt that the transition to adult roles was an insurmountable barrier.

"It felt like a good time to leave it behind if I was going to do it," the actress admitted, explaining that the pressure of proving her talent to new casting directors, who didn't know her beyond her childhood roles, was overwhelming.

The role that changed everything

For months, Ortega and her team discussed the possibility of leaving the industry so she could focus on her studies and have a "normal" life experience. However, in 2019, an opportunity arose that would be her salvation: the role of Ellie Alves in the second season of the series "You."

"I walked onto the set and loved it, I had an amazing time," Ortega recalled. That experience renewed her passion for the craft and gave her the confidence to keep going. “I thought, 'Yes, there's no way I can give this up.'” Today, with the massive success of “Wednesday” and starring roles in films like “Beetlejuice” and “Scream,” that moment of doubt seems distant. However, the actress acknowledges that uncertainty is a constant in Hollywood, but that her love for acting was, at the end of the day, stronger than her fear of failure.