Jenna Ortega: 'Not having a voice terrifies me'
Jenna Ortega has vowed to use her voice in the "most professional, efficient, and way kind way possible" after previously feeling silenced.
Jenna Ortega became "very insecure" and didn't know how to "express myself" after some "difficult" work situations early on in her career.
The Wednesday star first gained recognition as the younger version of Jane in The CW comedy-drama series Jane the Virgin between 2014 and 2019, before her award-winning leading role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle, and has starred in huge Hollywood productions (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Death of a Unicorn), as well as playing the titular character of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series.
And while reflecting on her early days in the acting business, the 22-year-old former child star admitted there were times when she "shut myself away" out of fear of saying the wrong thing.
She told Vogue México and Latin America’s September issue: “Being young and assertive is intense for a lot of people, as a woman. I've always known what it's like to not have a voice, and that terrifies me.
“I don't want to be in that situation again.
"But for me, it's just about making sure I use my voice in the most professional, efficient, and kind way possible.”
She continued: “For most of my career, I didn't know how to express myself.
“I was very young, I didn't know anything about the industry, perhaps because of certain professional experiences I'd had in the past that were a little more difficult.
“I shut myself away and became very insecure about my place.”
Of her childhood, she said: "I used to be a very extroverted child, but I've become more reserved.
"It doesn't mean something negative. It just means I choose my words carefully."
