Highlights
- Jenna Ortega said she would sometimes go all day without eating or drinking while working as a child actor.
- The Wednesday star said she was afraid of getting in anyone’s way on set.
- Ortega has previously spoken about the unusual pressures of growing up in an adult workplace.
Jenna Ortega has opened up about one of the habits she developed while working as a child actor, admitting that she would sometimes go through an entire day without eating or drinking because she was so determined not to inconvenience anyone on set.
During a quick-fire interview with Esquire on August 11, Ortega was asked about a “rookie mistake” she made on her first set. Looking back, she said she was so grateful and excited to be working that she never wanted to interrupt anyone.
Jenna Ortega recalls putting work before basic needs
Ortega explained that, as a child, she was focused on being grateful for the opportunity and keeping her “game face” on.
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” she said, adding that she would go “all day without eating, drinking, whatever” because she did not want to get in anyone’s way.
Looking back, Ortega said the mistake may have been “not actually looking after myself”. Her comments have prompted concern online, with people discussing the responsibility of adults working around children in the entertainment industry.
Ortega has spoken about the pressures of child acting
The actor has previously reflected on what it was like to work in the entertainment industry from a young age. In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, she described child acting as “strange” and said she understood why her parents had initially been hesitant about it.
Ortega said working as a child meant being placed in an adult workplace and that the experience changed the way she thought and interacted with people.
“Children aren’t supposed to be working like that,” she said at the time, arguing that children should instead be spending their time climbing trees, drawing and going to school.
Her parents prioritised school and childhood
Despite the demands of her early career, Ortega has credited her parents with making sure acting did not completely take over her childhood.
She said they ensured she attended public school, spent time with friends and prioritised sleep and schoolwork. Ortega added that they would not allow her to take a job unless she maintained straight A grades.
Her mother, an emergency room nurse with five other children, also made frequent trips with her to Los Angeles for auditions. During a 2022 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ortega recalled travelling from the Coachella Valley to Los Angeles four or five times a week, describing the journey as a six- or seven-hour round trip.
Ortega began acting as a child, appearing in Iron Man 3 at nine and later starring in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle. She has since become known for roles in Wednesday, Scream and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
