Jenna Ortega, the 24-year-old star of the Netflix series Wednesday, says childhood media training at Disney Channel left her with a warped sense of personal boundaries. She is now working to establish healthier limits with fans, acknowledging that she must balance professional obligations against her own safety and comfort.
The Disney Channel Media Training Legacy
During that time, she was prepared for the demands of the industry, including learning how to communicate with reporters and handle fan encounters at a young age.
When I was young, and I was on Disney Channel, they took us to media training, right? And they told us, you know, ‘Every time someone meets you, it’s probably the only time they’re ever going to interact with you, like that’s a very special moment in their lives. So just be aware of that.’
Jenna Ortega, actor
She admitted that the directive to prioritize the fan’s experience above her own has persisted into her adulthood, creating a lingering sense of obligation that she is now actively trying to unlearn. She noted that she is attempting to give herself more grace while dealing with the complexities of fame.
Ortega Evaluates Fan Requests Based on Safety
Now 24, Ortega is evaluating her interactions on a case-by-case basis. She emphasized that she is no longer willing to accommodate every request, particularly when she feels her safety is at risk.
So maybe if I feel like it’s not so safe of a situation or maybe I don’t want to stop and agree to take a photo with a random grown man,
Ortega explained. Kids and things like that, of course. It is a lot though. And, again, it’s sweet. Some of the interactions are so sweet, and then some of them are a little bit more embarrassing or aggressive or mean. And it’s hard to know what the balance is. But you just… I do what I can.
The actress recently shared instances where her attempts to be kind backfired, leaving her feeling like a creep.
She recounted, I saw this Enid and I said, ‘Oh my God, I love your costume, you look great,’
only to be met with a look that made her feel like a creep. Similarly, she once complimented a six-year-old blonde girl whose wig was falling off, telling her, Oh, you look so beautiful.
The child ran back to her classmates, leaving the actress feeling like she had scared the girl. Following these experiences, she decided to change her approach, stating, I’m done in that department.
Mental Health and Professional Pressures
In August, she revealed that during her earlier career, she felt unable to ask for basic necessities like food or water on set for fear of being viewed as ungrateful or in the way of anybody.
She noted that she would go all day without eating or drinking, admitting, Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself.
She also spoke with Vogue about her diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder at age 7, noting that she uses therapy and medication to manage the condition. She credits acting as a helpful tool for coping, explaining that the focus required on set allows her to channel her energy effectively. You have to breathe (when the cameras are rolling). That’s another reason why I like my job,
she said.
Beyond her work as Wednesday Addams, Ortega has built a career in the Scream franchise and played Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz, in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She is also set to appear as the artificial friend Klara in the film adaptation of the book Klara and the Sun.