Jenna Ortega has opened up about her experience as a young actor, recalling how determined she was to avoid becoming a burden to anyone on set. In a recent conversation with Esquire, the actress said that, as a child, she would sometimes go an entire day without asking for food or water because she was so focused on being grateful for the opportunity to work.
Ortega reflected on how seriously she approached acting from a very young age and admitted that her desire to appear professional may have come at the expense of looking after herself.
“I really had it going for me as a child ’cause I can’t think of one mistake I made,” Ortega said. “Is that a terrible thing to say? 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.”
She explained that part of maintaining that mindset meant avoiding requests that might draw attention to her needs.
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” Ortega 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, the actress now sees that behaviour differently.
“Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself,” she said.
Jenna Ortega reflects on life as a child actor
Ortega began working in entertainment at a young age and quickly built a résumé across television before becoming internationally recognised for her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday.
One of her significant early roles came in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, which premiered in 2016 when Ortega was 13. She also appeared in projects including Richie Rich, Jane the Virgin, You and Elena of Avalor.
Her comments offer a glimpse into the mindset she had while establishing herself in an industry where young performers can face intense expectations.
Rather than describing her early career only in terms of its opportunities, Ortega acknowledged that her determination to prove herself sometimes meant ignoring basic personal needs.
‘I was 7 years old’ when she decided to act
Ortega also spoke about where her ambition came from. She said her interest in acting began when she was just seven years old.
“I was 7 years old when I said I wanted to do this,” she said.
According to Ortega, her parents initially laughed when she told them she wanted to become an actor. That reaction, however, did not discourage her.
“My parents laughed at me when I told them that I wanted to do it, and then that was kind of the root of everything. The motivation,” she explained.
The actress said she never really stopped pursuing the goal, partly because of her own stubborn determination.
“And I never really stopped, because I’m very stubborn. And then I never questioned it,” Ortega said.
Jenna Ortega on the reality of being a child star
During the conversation, Ortega was also asked about the stereotypes and stigma surrounding child actors.
Her response was notably candid.
“Is it wrong to say that a lot of them are true? And do with that what you will,” she said.
The comment comes in the context of Ortega’s own experience growing up professionally in front of cameras. Her reflections suggest that the pressures faced by young performers can sometimes extend beyond the work itself, including the desire to appear grateful, disciplined and easy to work with.
Her admission about going without food or water is particularly revealing because she now recognises that trying not to inconvenience others was not necessarily healthy behaviour.
From child actor to ‘Wednesday’ star
Ortega’s career has evolved significantly since her early television roles. After working across a range of television and film projects, she reached a new level of global recognition with Wednesday, in which she plays the iconic Wednesday Addams.
The Netflix series became a major success and established Ortega as one of the most recognisable young stars working in Hollywood.
Her recent comments, however, offer a perspective that goes beyond her current celebrity status. They show how her approach to work was shaped during childhood and how she now views some of those habits with greater perspective.
For Ortega, the determination that helped her pursue acting from the age of seven remains a major part of her personality. But her recollection also points to an important lesson from her early career: being committed to work should not necessarily mean ignoring one’s own basic needs.
