Jenna Ortega Reveals She Went Without Food or Water as a Child Actor to Avoid “Being in the Way”

Jenna Ortega has opened up about the pressure she felt as a child actor, revealing that she sometimes went entire days without asking for food or water because she was afraid of getting in anyone’s way.

In a recent interview with Esquire, Ortega reflected on her early years in the entertainment industry and said she was determined to be the kind of young performer who caused no problems on set.

“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” Ortega said. “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 believes that mindset came at a cost.

“Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself,” she added.

Ortega said she was extremely focused as a child because she was grateful for every opportunity. She recalled having what she called her “game face” on and said she could not remember making many mistakes during that period.

“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 said.

Ortega began acting at a young age after telling her parents, at just 7 years old, that she wanted to become an actor. Her parents initially laughed at the idea, but Ortega remained determined.

“That was kind of the root of everything. The motivation,” she said. “And I never really stopped, because I’m very stubborn. And then I never questioned it.”

Her early career included appearances in shows such as “Jane the Virgin,” “Richie Rich,” “You” and “Elena of Avalor.” She gained a major breakthrough with Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle,” which premiered in 2016 when Ortega was 13.

Years later, she became internationally known for playing Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s hit series “Wednesday.”

Ortega also addressed the darker reputation surrounding child stardom. When asked about the stigmas associated with young actors, she offered a blunt response.

“Is it wrong to say that a lot of them are true?” she said, adding, “And do with that what you will.”

Her comments highlight a difficult reality of growing up in the entertainment industry: the qualities that can make a young performer successful—discipline, professionalism and a desire to please others—can also make it difficult for them to recognize and speak up about their own needs.

For Ortega, that lesson appears to have become clearer with age. The actress who once believed that staying quiet and asking for nothing was the best way to succeed now recognizes that taking care of herself was just as important as doing her job well.