A day with no food or water: Jenna Ortega on her child star past
As Wednesday Season 3 expands the Addams family story, Jenna Ortega says her child-actor years got rougher than you’d expect.
In a new conversation with Esquire, Jenna Ortega described the intense “game face” she wore as a kid on sets — so intent on being low‑maintenance that she avoided even the smallest ask.
“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” she recalled. “I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody.”
Ortega said she chased professionalism early, convinced that never messing up and never needing anything was the way to prove she belonged.
“I was so grateful and so excited to be there that my game face was on,” she said. “Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself.”
The drive started young. Ortega says she was seven when she told her parents she wanted to act — they laughed at first — and within a few years she was stacking credits that led to a Disney Channel lead at 13.
- Jane the Virgin — early TV role
- Richie Rich — Netflix comedy
- “You” — thriller series
- Elena of Avalor — voice role
- Stuck in the Middle — headlined the Disney Channel show at 13
Where Wednesday goes next
That discipline now feeds into her career-defining turn in Wednesday, which is steering into a deeper look at the Addams clan. Eva Green has joined Season 3 as Ophelia, Morticia’s previously unseen sister — a family addition that points to a broader backstory coming into play.
Netflix has also released an image of Wednesday in Paris, hinting at settings beyond Nevermore Academy. Production is reportedly underway in Ireland under the codename “Briarcliff.”
- Season 3 will widen its focus to Addams family history.
- Eva Green plays Ophelia, Morticia’s sister.
- First look places Wednesday in Paris.
- Filming is reportedly happening in Ireland (“Briarcliff”).
- A time jump has been discussed around the fandom, but remains unconfirmed by Netflix.
As for that time jump: it ’s been floated as a possibility as the young cast ages, but Netflix hasn’t said Season 3 will leave Wednesday’s teenage timeline.