Jenna Ortega is told she's 'Latina enough' in a sweet interview

Jenna Ortega shared an emotional moment with an interviewer after being encouraged to embrace her cultural heritage.

He Wednesday The 21-year-old actor recently sat down with Source: BuzzFeed Journalist Carolina Reynoso before the premiere of her next film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Before Ortega and his co-star, Catherine O'Hara, spoke about the sequel to director Tim Burton's film Beetle juiceThe Mexican-American interviewer made sure to give Ortega some words of support and encouragement.

“Jenna, I just wanted to say from one Latina to another that you are Latina enough,” Reynoso said, eliciting a gasp and a subtle smile from Ortega. “I don’t care what anyone says, especially as someone who is in the industry. You’ve opened so many doors for people like me, so you are Latina enough. Thank you so much for everything you do. I really appreciate you.”

He Shout The star jumped up from her chair and immediately gave Reynoso a hug, as O'Hara watched the sweet interaction. “What a beautiful thing,” she said. Schitt's Creek The actor commented.

A clip of the moment has since gone viral on social media, as fans pointed out Ortega's seemingly touching reaction to Reynoso's reassuring words.

“You can tell right away that I needed to hear that,” one person commented on TikTok.

“You could tell he really appreciated it,” another fan said.

“That touched his heart,” wrote a third user.

Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, has previously spoken out about the importance of Latino representation in Hollywood. However, You The star has also come under fire for the scope of her own cultural identity.

In September, Ortega sparked an internet debate after a video showed actress Anya Taylor-Joy, who grew up in Buenos Aires, introducing her husband to Ortega and Spanish pop star Rosalía in Spanish at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week. Ortega responded in English, prompting the internet to question the actress’s Latina identity.

Talking with Vanity Fair In a cover story published on August 6, the Netflix star noted that criticism surrounding her cultural background can make one feel like “you're just not good enough.”

“Since I was not born in a Spanish-speaking country, I know that people find it difficult to connect with me,” Ortega told the outlet.

Ortega admitted that she feels “a little bit embarrassed” about not being as “in touch” with her roots as she would like to be. “I think there’s a part of me that carries a little bit of shame. For a second there I was almost nervous to talk about my family background because I feel like I was made to feel like I wasn’t,” Ortega continued, before falling silent. “But also, something I’m learning is that it’s not my job to carry the weight of everyone who ever had that experience.”

While she is not fluent in Spanish, she noted that it was her mother's first language, adding, “I feel so envious every time I hear my mother speak perfect Spanish.”