Jenna Ortega calls child acting 'strange', explains how Hollywood made her a 'different person'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jenna Ortega, who began her career in Hollywood at a young age, acknowledges that her upbringing on movie sets was unconventional.
"Child acting is strange. I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you’re putting a child in an adult workplace," she told The New York Times.
Jenna Ortega on how Hollywood changed her life
"I think if I had just stayed growing up in Coachella Valley, I would be a completely different person. I wouldn’t speak the way that I do or approach interactions the way that I do," Jenna Ortega said.
She added, "It’s completely changed my way of thinking and going about life, and when I speak to other child actors, I can pick them out instantly because we all have that — it’s just very specific, like some secret little language or something that we all share. Children aren’t supposed to be working like that. They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school."
Jenna Ortega's mother would drive her to auditions
The middle child of six children, Jenna Ortega was raised in the Coachella Valley of California by a sheriff father and an emergency department nurse mother. The actress, who was the extroverted one and was interested in acting, claimed to have had a "pretty cool childhood" with her parents and brothers.
Her mother used to take her to auditions even though she "didn't know anything about Hollywood." She said, "I didn’t know anyone, and I wanted to be able to do things at my own pace and in my own style, but you didn’t know if people were saying things to help you or to hurt you." She remembered that the experience was frequently too much to handle.
Jenna Ortega on her initial audition years
"When I first started auditioning, we’d spend hours in these casting offices, and we met so many strange and intense personalities. It could be stage parents, it could be producers that really made me fearful of other people for a while, and I think that’s when I started to become more introverted," the 'Scream' star said.
She added, "It was such a joy to be able to get back in the car at the end of the day and do my homework, because I was still going to public school at the time, and listen to my mom talk and catch up with my siblings at home."
When asked if she had seen the contentious docuseries 'Quiet on Set', which premiered earlier this year and highlighted allegations of abuse against adults who had worked on Nickelodeon programming featuring children, Ortega answered that her mother had.
"She watched over me like a hawk, so I think for her, it was more empathizing and wishing she somehow could have done something to help. She just called me saying she was so grateful that things were OK and that she was there to witness everything," the 'Wednesday' actress added.
Jenna Ortega received her first credited roles at age 10
The 21-year-old, who received her first credited roles at age 10, said, "There’s times that I regret it; there’s times that my parents regret it" when it comes to beginning her career so early.
But at the same time, she said, "Looking back, I wouldn’t change anything. I don’t believe in that because if anything, I’m incredibly grateful for the lessons that it did teach me. I love that when I go on a set now, I’m incredibly knowledgeable. I know what the camera verbiage means. I know what a grip’s job is. I know what a gaffer’s job is. I can get along with the D.P. I can go through shot lists. I understand it all."
Jenna Ortega takes inspiration from Winona Ryder
The 'Yes Day' actress said, "I know what’s going on around me; therefore, I feel incredibly safe and comfortable and excited to go to work every day because it’s familiar to me." She also takes inspiration from the actresses that came before her, such as Winona Ryder, her co-star in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'.
Ortega continued, "I do have a weird habit of connecting with older-generation actresses almost instantly, and I think it’s because there’s a certain level of empathy and instant want for protection and to be able to guide younger people. I’ve been really, really lucky to work with incredible actresses who definitely had a harder upbringing. They’ve been teachers. They’ve been mentors, and that has definitely helped a lot."
