Jenna Ortega has opened up about the pressure she put on herself as a child actor, recalling that she would sometimes spend entire days on set without asking for food or water because she was determined not to get in anyone’s way.
Speaking to Esquire, Ortega reflected on her early years in the industry and said she was intensely focused on being grateful for every opportunity.
“I really had it going for me as a child ’cause I can’t think of one mistake I made,” Ortega said. “I feel like I make mistakes now all the time, but as a child, I was so grateful and so excited to be there that my game face was on.”
That mindset came with a cost. Ortega said she deliberately avoided asking for even basic things while working.
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” she recalled. “I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody.”
Looking back, Ortega now sees that behaviour differently.
“Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself,” she said.
Ortega began working professionally at a young age, landing roles in shows including Richie Rich, Jane the Virgin, You and Elena of Avalor. Her breakthrough came with Disney Channel’s Stuck in the Middle, which premiered in 2016 when Ortega was just 13.
The actor has since become one of Hollywood’s most recognisable young stars, particularly after taking the title role in Netflix’s Wednesday. But her experience as a child performer has also left her with a less romantic view of the industry.
Asked about the stigma surrounding child stars, Ortega offered a blunt assessment.
“Is it wrong to say that a lot of them are true? And do with that what you will,” she said.
Ortega has also said that her determination to act started remarkably early. She was seven when she first told her parents she wanted to pursue acting, a declaration they initially laughed off.
“That was kind of the root of everything. The motivation,” Ortega said. “And I never really stopped, because I’m very stubborn. And then I never questioned it.”
At 23, Ortega is now looking back at those childhood years with considerably more perspective. The lesson she seems to have taken from them is straightforward: being grateful for the opportunity did not mean she had to disappear inside it.
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Last modified: August 12, 2026
