Acting already comes with a lot of pressure. But that pressure gets heightened even further with child actors and actresses. Movie star Jenna Ortega knows that all too well.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Ortega's acting career began in 2012. She starred on the sitcom Rob as a nine-year-old. She then landed roles in hit films including Insidious: Chapter 2 and Iron Man 3.
Ortega Says She Never Ate or Drake on Set as Child Actor
In a new sit-down with Esquire, Ortega dove into the details about her career as a child actor. The Wednesday star said that she rarely made any mistakes while on set as a child actor. Because she was so focused on being perfect.
"I really had it going for me as a child 'cause I can't think of one mistake I made," Ortega said as caught by PEOPLE. "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."
As the conversation continued, Ortega used the example of how she would never ask for anything to eat or drink while on set. Because she did not want to "be in the way" of the other people who were on set.
"I wasn't asking for a sip of water. I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody," she added.
However, Ortega did take accountability for the role she played and admitted that she was not "looking after" herself.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ortega discussed when she discovered that she wanted to pursue a career as an actress. She noted that she was just 7 years old when she made her career choice. The Beetlejuice star also said her parent "laughed" when she told them her plans, which motivated her to pursue an acting career even more.
"That kind of was the root of everything. The motivation. And I never really stopped, because I'm very stubborn. And then I never questioned it," she added.
In the end, everything worked out for Ortega. She is one of the biggest movie stars in the industry.
