Actress Jenna Ortega Kicked Off Her Best Year in New Bedford

Jenna Ortega is having quite the year. She won a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award on Sunday night for her critically acclaimed role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix's Wednesday. She's also on a press tour for the latest film in the Scream franchise, which premieres March 10.

She seems to be everywhere these days, but it was just a little over a year ago that she was in New Bedford, filming scenes for upcoming Paramount+ film Finestkind. She was already famous when she was in the Whaling City but her star seems to have exploded since then.

It wasn't too long ago we were stalking Ortega as she was spotted filming on familiar streets, though what role she plays in Finestkind remains unclear. In fact, a lot of the project is still shrouded in mystery almost a year later.

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Written and directed by New Bedford native and Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland, the film also features Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster and Tim Daly. New Bedford and Fairhaven aren't just the filming locations, but where the story is set.

The synopsis on IMDb says only: "Two brothers are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston."

It sounds like it will be a gritty movie, and Ortega certainly looked the part as she crossed a street in the North End last year for the project.

Then again, she's great at becoming whatever character she's playing, having been catapulted to superstar status in the last year. In case you haven't watched the Netflix show Wednesday, she absolutely nails her character and has millions of fans waiting for another season.

She has also gotten her share of nominations and awards including winning a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award over the weekend for Favorite Female TV star. She won a Golden Globe for this same role earlier this year.

Ortega also doesn't seem to take any time off, either. She is playing a pretty big role in Scream VI as Tara Carpenter.

Once Finestkind comes out, I can't wait to see what of New Bedford and Fairhaven I recognize.

In the meantime, here are a few images of Ortega hanging out on the SouthCoast. I wonder if she knew then about how crazy her life was about to become.