Jenna Ortega Reflects on a Serious “Mistake” She Made Early in Her Career
Jenna Ortega Reflects on a Serious “Mistake” She Made Early in Her Career
Juliana UkiomogbeWed, August 12, 2026 at 4:51 PM UTC
0
Jenna Ortega on November 9, 2025, in Los Angeles.Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gise -
Jenna Ortega opened up about her experience as a child actor in an interview with Esquire on August 11.
When speaking about a “rookie mistake” she made early on in her career, she admitted that she didn’t take the best care of herself.
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” she said. “I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever.”
Jenna Ortega is opening up about her experience as a child actor.
Jenna Ortega at the Actor Awards on March 1, 2026, in Los Angeles.Credit: Getty Images
In a video interview with Esquire published on August 11, the 23-year-old actress was asked, “What’s a rookie mistake you made on your first set?”
“I really had it going for me as a child because I can’t think of one mistake I made,” she replied. “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.”
The Wednesday star then admitted that she didn’t take the best care of herself early on in her career.
Jenna Ortega at the Golden Globes on January 11, 2026, in Beverly Hills.Credit: Getty Images
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” she said. “I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody…Maybe that was my mistake, not actually looking after myself.”
Advertisement
Ortega began acting at age nine, and her first major film was 2013’s Iron Man 3. Her other early credits include CSI: NY, Days of Our Lives, and Insidious: Chapter 2.
Elsewhere in the Esquire interview, the scream queen shared “how she got here.”
“I genuinely do not know,” she confessed. “You guys, I was seven years old when I said I wanted to do this. My parents laughed at me when I told them that I wanted to do it. And then that was the root of everything, the motivation. And I never really stopped because I’m very stubborn, and then I never questioned it.”
She also spoke about one of her earliest creative influences: Dakota Fanning.
Jenna Ortega at the ‘Wednesday’ Emmys FYSEE Event on May 22, 2026, in Hollywood.Credit: Getty Images
“As a young girl, to see a young girl with so much…It felt like wisdom, like she had lived and walked this planet many times before, and she kind of taught me what an actor even was when I was a kid.”
on InStyle
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
