Having just celebrated her 21rst birthday, Jenna has been selected to receive Harper’s Bazaar’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award as part of its “Women of the Year” issue, set to hit news stands in December. She will be presented the award in a special ceremony on November 7. She is one of eleven influential women selected for special honors.
In preparation for her big day, Jenna was doing a cover shoot at a townhouse in Paris. She was also being interviewed for the cover article. Excerpts from her responses are below.
Jenna is described as being naturally photogenic and yet quiet and contemplative. She calls herself a “massive introvert”, saying that she doesn’t like watching herself on the screen.
“I can’t watch my work, as I know I won’t be able to push forward and continue to grow as an actor if I cling on to certain things. A lot of people in my profession can probably relate to this: when you do a take you don’t like, you go to bed kicking yourself. But ultimately, all I can do is be vulnerable and honest when the camera’s on, and then I have to move on and let it go. It’s really hard for me to not feel in control.”
And in her career, Jenna is actively looking to regain some of that much-needed control:
“As a kid, I was always being told what I should and shouldn’t do – which way I should go, what would be best for me. But in the end, I’m the only one who’s ever going to know that. I want to be able to really orchestrate my own future and make more specific, precise moves. I’ve even begged a little bit to be allowed to make a mistake. Because how can I learn if I don’t do that for myself? I can’t be scared of the fact that I might fall on my face. But it’s hard to do that when so many people are watching.”
Similarly, growing up Hispanic in Hollywood meant limited roles to choose from.
“As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get: you’re either the younger version of someone or you’re playing somebody’s daughter – and there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for, so a lot of the jobs that I was going for growing up would never work out, because I didn’t look [a certain] way. That was really hard, to hear that something you couldn’t change was what was preventing you [from succeeding].”
When asked about what she saw in her future, Jenna replied this way:
“I want to appreciate what I’ve accomplished. When I really sit back and think about it, it’s truly mind-blowing. But there’s so much more waiting for me on the other side. If I mess up, I mess up, and that’s OK. I don’t know what’s coming – but I’m excited that I get to figure it out.”
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