INTERVIEW: Jenna Ortega on Her Individual Style and Working With adidas

Jenna Ortega has become one of the most talked about people in the last year -- and it's for good reason. From starring in major films like Scream to Netflix series like You and Wednesday, Ortega and her impressive career have gone from strength to strength -- and she's only getting bigger and better.

Off the back of her Netflix success, the actor is now the star of adidas' new "All That You Are" campaign, to celebrate the launch of the brand's new Sportswear label. adidas Sportswear marks the brand's first new label in 50 years, designed to fuse performance technology with contemporary design and casual styles, championing the significance of self-expression and individuality.

The concept of individuality underpins everything that Ortega does, with her standout looks on Wednesday sparking a gothcore resurgence and self-choreographed dance moves going viral on TikTok. Her work with adidas acts as a continuation of that ethos, with the brand being one of her favorites growing up. "When I was younger, they were the cool kids and they were what everyone wore and what I started to wear when I got older and started making my own money," the Netflix star told Hypebae.

In terms of her favorite piecces, it's the bold colors that stood out to Ortega the most, something which she hopes to begin incorporating into her own wardrobe. "It makes me want to wear more color, which is funny because I find myself living in black nowadays. I like that it pushes me in that way," she continues.

We caught up with Ortega to find out more about her work with adidas, her thoughts on the new collection and of course -- how it felt to be a part of a series as successful as Wednesday.

Scroll down for the full interview.

You've partnered with adidas on the new adidas Sportswear range, how does it feel to be working with such a major brand for the first time?

It's really exciting for me because when I was younger, they were the cool kids and they were what everyone wore and what I started to wear when I got older and started making my own money. If I was ever going to spend money on clothes it was always going to be on adidas. So it feels like a natural progression for me in my career but then also something that's kind of one of those surreal moments where I mean I'm on these shoots and I'm sending photos to my mom like "remember this, remember when I was younger and this was all that mattered to me?" So it's really really special for me.

Speaking of sports, what is your favorite sport and why?

My favorite sport is soccer, or like the rest of the world calls it: football. And it's because it's all that I played growing up and I played a couple of sports. I did like baseball and football for a while. But soccer was the only one that really stuck with me. And one that I was like, I genuinely did pretty well in and I remember there was a time where I had to decide if I was going to stop playing soccer and continue the acting or I was going to go and I was going to have a normal life and continue playing soccer. And I heavily debated my options because I wanted to play soccer so badly and play at a university. So that's my favorite sport.

The collection aims to fuse fashion with function and champion individuality. What are some of your favourite pieces? 

I feel like that's too hard to choose, but having done the shoot, all of the clothes were so, so comfortable and it was kind of interesting for me because I don't typically wear a lot of color. Even like the purple jumper, for example, it makes me want to wear more color, which is funny because I find myself living in black nowadays or at least for the last couple of years. I like that it pushes me in that way. Other than that, I would get dressed in the dark in that collection and it would still make sense and would still feel good and I feel like people would still compliment me on the outfit.

How would you describe your individual style?

It's so funny. I feel like it's been so long since I feel like I've officially had a personal style. Shopping is so hard for me, but if I think about it, I grew up with one of six kids, so I don't know if I just think of back-to-school shopping and being at the store for way too long. But recently I started shopping again and I feel like I've been doing a lot of vintage thrifting. So a lot of the clothes that I wear right now that I'm obsessed with are super casual or like, little 11-year-old boy pants from the fifties, or, you know, old workers' jackets. I have all these jackets that say "Carrie" or a little "Joe" or just random things. So yeah, anything that's '50 or '60s, I feel like that's where a lot of my clothes are at.

We can't talk about individuality without mentioning Wednesday Addams – who has had an undeniable influence on fashion in the last few months. What's that been like for you to witness?

I'm just kind of blown away by everything because I think making the show, people were saying that they thought it was going to be a big deal but I've just learned in this industry to take everything with a bit of salt just because I feel like people get excited. I feel like I'm truly blown away and amazed by anybody who supported the show, any amount of support that the show has been getting. But what gets me the most is seeing little girls who were not goth at all just like wake up the next day and have their parents posting photos of them with, like, their hair in braids wearing the only black shirt they could find and black lipstick. That brings me so much joy because I can't wait for these girls to get older and look back on their gothic stage. To have played a part in that is like a real honor for me.

How do you think she would style the collection? 

I feel like there would be no color. I feel like the shoes would have some sort of crazy platform. At least my version of Wednesday would have a lot of like the e-girl stomper style. Everything would probably be long-sleeved, like any of the undershirts or like turtlenecks or anything like that would be longer. I feel like she would probably stray from t-shirts and showing forearms as much as you possibly could.

Finally, what are your plans and goals for the year ahead?

I guess, dedicate more time for myself. It's very easy for me to cling onto something and become obsessed with it, and I feel like that's been me with my work for the last couple of years. When things get crazy, I need to learn to like reset and take time for myself before I jump into another project. Just do more things that I want to do that I've been putting off for a while and take more time for me.

The new adidas Sportswear range is now available for purchase from the brand's website.