Jenna Ortega Was Safe From Set Misconduct as a Child Star Because Mom ‘Watched Over Me Like a Hawk,’ Says ‘Child Acting Is Strange’ and ‘There’s Times I Regret It’

“I think for her, it was more pain, because she had seen the way that other children maybe weren’t protected or weren’t as looked after,” Ortega said about her mother’s reaction. “She watched over me like a hawk, so I think for her, it was more empathizing and wishing she somehow could have done something to help. She just called me saying she was so grateful that things were ok and that she was there to witness everything.”

“I see why my parents felt so hesitant about it, because you’re putting a child in an adult workplace,” Ortega said. “I think if I had just stayed growing up in Coachella Valley, I would be a completely different person. I wouldn’t speak the way that I do or approach interactions the way that I do. It’s completely changed my way of thinking and going about life, and when I speak to other child actors, I can pick them out instantly because we all have that — it’s just very specific, like some secret little language or something that we all share.”

“Children aren’t supposed to be working like that,” Ortega continued. “They are supposed to be climbing trees and drawing and going to school. Some of those kids’ parents don’t even take school seriously, so I feel really, really fortunate to have had parents who made sure that I hung out with friends, made sure that I went to public school and wouldn’t allow me to work on a job unless I had straight A’s and was prioritizing my sleep and my schoolwork.”