Millie Bobby Brown vs. Jenna Ortega: Who Is the Biggest Star Helming Netflix?

Before Netflix became the tastemaker of a generation, breakout fame was a slow burn. One viral role and a smartly timed release can turn relative unknowns into red carpet regulars today. In pop culture, a few names come preloaded with impact, and when it comes to Netflix, Millie Bobby Brown

and Jenna Ortega are the automatic associations. Brown emerged as the telekinetic Eleven in Stranger Things,

a role that turned Eggo waffles into exquisite brunch culinary and gave sci-fi a Gen Z facelift. Then there is Ortega’s brooding, deadpan charisma as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday

, the internet’s dark darling.

Now that Stranger Things

gears up for its final season and Wednesday

sharpens its claws for round two, the question remains: Who reigns as the ultimate Netflix icon?

With Millie Bobby Brown at the forefront, Stranger Things

became a multi-season cultural phenomenon. She turned her streaming stardom into fashion deals, box office leads, and social media domination. Brown’s showbiz footprint does not exactly go back to the Upside Down. Before being cast to play Eleven in Netflix’s cult classic Stranger Things,

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Then Brown made guest appearances in NCIS, Modern Family,

and Grey’s Anatomy

. However, Stranger Things

was a cultural reset, a star portal that earned her a SAG, an Emmy, and a Saturn Award. Stranger Things,

too, went on to break multiple records, especially with season 4. Season 4 reached over 1.352 billion hours viewed in the first 28 days, surpassing Bridgerton

Stranger Things

season 4 is currently at #4 on Netflix’s all-time viewership chart.

Unlike Brown, whose breakout role was with Netflix’s sci-fi series, Ortega made her acting debut in Rob

She made guest appearances in Unspoken

and had an uncredited role in Iron Man 3.

She recurrently starred in the CW comedy Jane the Virgin

from 2014 to 2019. However, her journey with Netflix began in Richie Rich

. She was cast as Ellie Alves in the second season of You

, which just concluded on Netflix. She was associated with the Netflix comedy Yes Day

(2021), and that very year, she was cast as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday

.

While at first she was hesitant about the part because she wanted to focus on her film career, Wednesday

was a turning point. Upon Wednesday’s

release on Netflix, it became one of the most-watched Netflix shows in a month. But that is not all. Wednesday

Read More: Millie Bobby Brown Shares the ‘Stranger Things’ Finale Keepsake Props That Left Her Sobbing

Wednesday

season 1 is currently #3 on Netflix’s all-time viewership chart.

Once Netflix found the taste of Millie Bobby Brown’s star power with Stranger Things

, the streamer could not hold back. In 2020, Brown starred and produced Enola Holmes

opposite Henry Cavill

. Enola Holmes 3

is currently in production, where they both reprise their roles. Last year, Netflix and Brown joined forces for Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s Damsel

Meanwhile, Brown has starred in Godzilla: King of the Monsters

and Godzilla vs. Kong.

So, it is safe to say that whenever a franchise looks for a star to carry it through and through, it has to be Brown. Additionally, she was TIME Magazine’s one of the most influential teens in 2017 and 2018, and later she became the youngest UNICEF ambassador that year. 

Since casting as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday

, Jenna Ortega has appeared in the slasher films Scream

and Scream VI

in 2022 and 2023, both major box office hits. She was then cast in Finestkind

. Ortega also starred in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Ortega most recently joined forces with Trey Edward Shults’ Hurry Up Tomorrow

, though like The Electric State,

it failed to woo the audience.

Read More: “She kinda sucked”- Jenna Ortega Dumps on the Weeknd’s Favorite Role of Her, and Its Definitely Not Wednesday

While Brown may have relied with eyes blindfolded on Netflix, Ortega’s success stories go beyond the streaming gates. Yet, Brown and Ortega’s Netflix exposure counts because the stars have since spun credits enough to etch their names in gold. But who reigns when it comes to net worth?

Millie Bobby Brown has a net worth of $14 million in 2025

(via Celebrity Net Worth

). Besides Stranger Things

, she has appeared in many films and television series. For the first season of Stranger Things

, she was reportedly paid $10,000 per episode. In the second, the hike was cued at  $30,000 per episode. As a cast lead, she received $300,000 per episode in season 3.

The exact numbers are unavailable for season 4, but it should not be any less than what has been mentioned. Brown reportedly got $6.1 million to star in Enola Holmes,

but had a separate $500,000 payday as a producer. Brown’s salary was a staggering $10 million from Enola Holmes 2.

However, the entertainment capital is not the only stream of her income. In 2019, Brown launched her beauty and skincare line, Florence by Mills. 

In contrast to Brown’s staggering $14 million, Jenna Ortega’s net worth is clearly thinner, with $5 million.

She started her career as a child actor in Jane the Virgin

and Stuck in the Middle.

However, following the Netflix breakthrough, she appeared in countless blockbusters. The first season’s salary Ortega earned from Netflix’s Wednesday

has not been revealed.

Read More: Jenna Ortega and Robert De Niro Team Up to Tackle Pool in ‘Shutout’, David O. Russell’s Latest Film

Yet, according to a Cosmopolitan Magazine report,

she could have made $30,000 per episode, in par with Brown’s Stranger Things

first season salary. However, she is rumored to receive a whopping $250,000 per episode for season 2 (via Koimoi

).

Millie Bobby Brown’s paychecks have grown steadily, like her fame. According to KoiMoi, Brown reportedly earns around $1 million per year.

The figures are not exactly available for Jenna Ortega. The differences in their net worth may give Brown the financial lead. Well, the reason could be her diverse streams of income.

In contrast, Ortega’s primary source of income is just showbiz.

If one focuses on Ortega’s range of action in Hollywood, one would notice she has a good footing beyond the fence of the streamer.

She has been attached to some of the high-profile directors of all time. However, considering both have an illustrious path ahead with countless blockbusters ready to spill any minute, the competition is rather cutthroat.

Accolade-wise, while Ortega has been nominated for nearly everything Brown has earned a nod for, she has yet to win an Emmy, SAG, or a Saturn Award like her Gen Z competitor. However, both actresses have a slew of projects coming up next, allowing the pedestal to incline on either side.

Millie Bobby Brown has a bounty of showbiz treats coming the audience’s way. Firstly, the decade-long tale of Stranger Things

with its fifth and final season this year. Besides that, production just kicked off for

. Last year, Deadline also reported she is developing a feature adaptation of her debut novel, Nineteen Steps

, for Netflix.

As for Jenna Ortega? Well, she is slated to reprise her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday

season 2, scheduled to drop on Netflix in two parts in August and September, respectively.

She also became an executive producer on the show, showcasing her evolution with Netflix. Ortega has reportedly helped put together costumes, characters, and scripts, which means the creative control is greater than in the first installment. In addition to that, she joined the cast of Klara and the Sun. 

Brown went from breakout to brand in a heartbeat, now sitting atop a million-dollar career that includes a Netflix badge, a beauty empire, and production credits. On the other hand, Ortega is now one of the most-followed Gen Z actresses, thanks to her gory humor and, of course, the viral TikTok dance that practically became a digital rite of passage. In launching box office draws, commanding media attention, and growing with a cult-following, Brown and Ortega are one and the same. But with the tidbits of ups and downs here and there, you might never know when the tables turn. 

Read More: Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi Stir Up Florence by Mills With a Mocktail Twist

Who do you think is the bigger Netflix star between Millie Bobby Brown and Jenna Ortega? Let us know in the comments below!