Jenna Ortega Reveals Heartbreaking Reason She'd Go 'All Day' Without Eating Or Drinking On Set As Child Actor

During an interview with Esquire, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega admitted that she didn't recall any mistakes she made as a childhood star, and that might be the exact problem.

Though she's best-known now for her role in Wednesday, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and even Yes Day, Ortega's career began years before that when she lived out in the Coachella Desert.

During that time, her parents prioritized education over acting roles, much like an athlete might need to keep up their grades to avoid getting benched, so when she actually appeared on set for projects like Ironman 3 and Stuck in the Middle, Ortega was grateful—maybe a little too grateful.

When asked what her biggest mistake was as a child star, Ortega drew a blank.

"I really had it going for me as a child, because I can't think of one mistake I made."

"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."

"I wasn't asking for a sip of water. I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever."

"I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody that..."

"Maybe that was my mistake? Not actually looking after myself?"

You can watch the segment here:

Redditors in the "Entertainment" subReddit clocked Ortega's response, pointing out that not taking care of herself was, in fact, a mistake, but that as a child, there should have been people looking out for her well-being.

"A child is not supposed to look after themselves. The parents are supposed to look after the child. It is otherwise neglect." -pomonalost

"This response feels weird to me, but she is only 23. Not a kid, but also probably not totally disconnected from the feeling of being neglected as a kid who was acting like it's fine to protect herself. She probably hasn't had enough time to look back and examine it yet." -PoorlyDesignedCat

"Oh dear. This girl has a lot to unpack. Hope she comes out alright." -Icommentwhenhelp

"That’s what I was like as a kid. I never would ask for anything if I was at a friend’s house. Their parents would eventually try to get me to eat or drink, but I didn’t want to bother anyone and just figured I’d eat at home." -CleverGirlRawr

"As a kid, I would never ask for anything I needed. It was debilitating, really. I remember one time in class, we all brought our chairs to the front to watch a movie, and the guy in front of me moved his chair back and put it on my foot by accident. I sat there through the whole movie with his chair on my foot."

"I'm not famous, but I can get how she felt." -Capeverde33

"Tom Holland says that in his first 'Spider-Man' movie, the suit made it hard to go to the bathroom, and he didn’t want to 'make trouble,' so he stopped asking for water. In his check-in call with his mom, he joked about how thirsty he always was, and two days later, a producer came down to ask about his kidneys."

"So he wasn’t being deliberately deprived, but if you are an eager-to-please kid, it’s likely no one is going to check to see if you are hydrated and fed." -SmoothLester

"If I’m remembering correctly, she’s said in interviews that her mom worked full time as a nurse, while also balancing bringing her to auditions and sets."

"I wonder if that means Jenna didn’t have an adult with her to advocate for her on set. That’s a lot of pressure for a child." -pippspopsdom

"Knowing what we know now, it should be illegal for a child to be unattended that long on set." -_emma_stove_

"She’s already a smaller person, but that could have played a serious role in stunting her growth. That’s really sad; no kid should have to feel the need to do that." -CapableNeat4351

"I feel like we are taught this from an early age. Don’t inconvenience anyone. The thing is, I don’t explicitly remember anyone ever teaching me this. I just knew."

"I’m 42, and I’m still the same way. I hope she heals." -SlowerthanTurtleInPB

It's sad to hear how worried Ortega was about being an inconvenience. Hopefully, she's put that mindset behind her.