{"id":41264,"date":"2026-08-12T17:24:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41264"},"modified":"2026-08-12T17:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:24:27","slug":"jenna-ortega-confesses-she-went-all-day-without-eating-or-drinking-on-set-as-child-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41264","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Ortega confesses she went &#8216;all day&#8217; without eating or drinking on set as child star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F08%2Fortega-23.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jenna Ortega would \u201cgo all day\u201d without eating or drinking as a child star.<\/p>\n<p>The actress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fDN_oms-lvg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explained to Esquire<\/a> in a new interview, published Wednesday, that she was so \u201cgrateful and excited\u201d to be on set that she put her \u201cgame face on\u201d at all times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t asking for a sip of water,\u201d the \u201cWednesday\u201d star, 23, recalled. \u201cI would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jenna Ortega (pictured above on May 22) confessed to going \u201call day\u201d without eating or drinking on set as a child star. <span class=\"credit\">WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The actress (pictured above on \u201cJane the Virgin\u201d wanted \u201cso badly to not be in the way.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>She confessed that \u201cnot looking after [her]self\u201d was a \u201cmistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, the Golden Globe nominee couldn\u2019t \u201cthink of one mistake [she] made,\u201d asking, \u201cIs that a terrible thing to say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortega clarified that she \u201cmake[s] mistakes now all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cI wasn\u2019t asking for a sip of water,\u201d the \u201cStuck in the Middle\u201d alum said. <span class=\"credit\">Disney Channel via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Ortega (pictured above on \u201cJane the Virgin\u201d) had her \u201cgame face\u201d on at all times. <span class=\"credit\">CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Page Six Daily\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The former Disney Channel star was 7 when she realized she wanted to act, telling the outlet that her parents \u201claughed\u201d at the idea \u2014 which became her motivation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never really stopped, because I\u2019m very stubborn,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd then I never questioned it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Emmy nominee dubbed Dakota Fanning her child star role model since she embodied so much \u201cwisdom, like she had lived and walked this planet many times before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ortega\u2019s first role was in the sitcom \u201cRob\u201d in 2012 when she was 9.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The 23-year-old (pictured above in December 2014) called \u201cnot looking after [her]self\u201d a \u201cmistake.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The Emmy nominee (pictured above on \u201cStuck in the Middle\u201d) had her first acting role at age 9. <span class=\"credit\">Disney Channel via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The following year, she had roles in \u201cInsidious: Chapter 2\u201d and\u00a0\u201cIron Man 3\u201d \u2014 and a recurring part in \u201cJane the Virgin\u201d between 2014 and 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Ortega played Harley Diaz on \u201cStuck in the Middle\u201d from 2016 to 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Her more recent projects include \u201cYou,\u201d \u201cScream\u201d and \u201cBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/04\/09\/celebrity-news\/jenna-ortega-nearly-quit-acting-before-landing-you-role\/\">nearly quit acting<\/a> before those more mature roles, telling Kid Cudi on his \u201cBig Bro\u201d podcast in April that she was intimidated by having to \u201cprove [her]self and meet all these new casting directors who didn\u2019t know who [she] was.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>She transitioned into more mature roles in 2019 \u2014 but nearly quit before that. <span class=\"credit\">jennaortega\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Ortega (pictured above in August 2025) has since decided, \u201cThere\u2019s no way I could let this go.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">GC Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ortega remembered, \u201cIt just felt like a good time to call it quits if I was going to. I was starting high school, and, \u2018it was a good run\u2019 sort of thing. We had talked about it for a few months with my team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, after \u201cYou,\u201d she decided, \u201cYeah, there\u2019s no way I could let this go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She is set to star in \u201cKlara and the Sun,\u201d out in October, and Season 3 of Ortega\u2019s award-winning Netflix series, \u201cWednesday,\u201d premieres next year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jenna Ortega would \u201cgo all day\u201d without eating or drinking as a child star. The actress explained to Esquire in a new interview, published Wednesday, that she was so \u201cgrateful and excited\u201d to be on set that she put her \u201cgame face on\u201d at all times. \u201cI wasn\u2019t asking for a sip of water,\u201d the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/ortega-23.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}