Jenna Ortega is opening up about not always fitting in as a child actress because she didn’t "look a certain way." During an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the 'Scream VI' actress recalled the pressure of going on auditions when she was younger in the midst of industry beauty standards.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 Jenna Ortega is opening up about not always fitting in as a child actress because she
00:05 didn't, quote, "look a certain way."
00:08 During an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the Scream 6 actress recalled the pressure
00:11 of going on auditions when she was younger in the midst of different industry beauty
00:15 standards.
00:16 "As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get.
00:19 You're either the younger version of someone or you're playing somebody's daughter.
00:22 And there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for."
00:26 Ortega, who is born to parents of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, further explained,
00:30 "So a lot of the jobs that I was going for growing up would never work out because I
00:35 didn't look a certain way.
00:36 That was really hard to hear that something you couldn't change was what was preventing
00:40 you from succeeding."
00:41 The actress notes that those experiences negatively impacted Ortega's confidence and self-esteem,
00:47 even admitting to the magazine that she wanted to dye her hair blonde at one point to look
00:51 like Cinderella.
00:52 "But over time, that began to change.
00:54 I thought, 'I don't want other young girls to look up at the screen and feel like they
00:57 have to change their appearance to be deemed beautiful or worthy.'"
01:01 While speaking about her experience in Hollywood, Ortega also admitted that she feels somewhat
01:05 embarrassed that she doesn't speak fluent Spanish, adding, "I wasn't born in a Spanish-speaking
01:10 country.
01:11 I haven't spent a lot of time in Mexico, and I've never been to Puerto Rico.
01:14 So there's a feeling of not being worthy enough to be a proper representative."
01:18 Still, she hopes that she can use her presence in the industry for change.
01:21 "I want all people of Latin descent to be able to see themselves on screen.
01:25 I want to feel that I can open doors for other people."
01:28 For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:31 And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter
01:35 News.
01:36 Thanks for watching!
01:38 (upbeat music)