Jenna Ortega became unexpectedly emotional while talking about the damage social media has played on her mental health.
Speaking with fellow actress Elle Fanning for Variety‘s Actors on Actors, Ortega opened up about the struggles she’s experienced growing up in the public and online.
“Social media, what it does to anyone our age, it’s such a comparing game,” Ortega shared. “It influences bandwagon mentality. It’s very manipulative. After [shooting Wednesday], I was really nervous to post or even say anything on there or even be myself.
“Because I naturally tend to be sarcastic or dry, it’s very easy for me to find myself in trouble,” she continued. “I want people to be able to get to know the people behind the camera and realize that people should never be put on a pedestal. And the more I’ve been exposed to the world, people prey on that and take advantage of that. They see your vulnerability and twist it in a way that you don’t always expect.”
All of a sudden, Ortega began crying while continuing to speak.
“It’s so strange. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do this. But it’s such a hard thing to balance. Because how do you be honest without jeopardizing your own health and safety? It’s very easy to feel almost out of control,” she said.
Fanning encouraged her to do what was right for her.
“You have to protect yourself,” Fanning shared, “and also just know when to put it away and know it doesn’t matter. That’s not the real world.
Ortega shared that she often feels tension between wanting to be authentic and wanting to protect her mental health.
“I still have this really intense urge to be human and honest and authentic,” she said. “Another thing about this industry is you get in front of a camera and people want you to be something else — where it’s ‘Have more energy!’ or ‘Could you smile?’ and it just feels gross. And I don’t want to feel gross. I would rather people see me cry and do whatever than be something I’m not.”
Jenna Ortega starts to cry as she talks to Elle Fanning about how toxic social media can be: "It's such a hard thing to balance. How do you be honest without jeopardizing your own health and safety? It's very easy to feel out of control." https://t.co/MqDrkNvpc6 pic.twitter.com/mb4L1q2RVv
— Variety (@Variety) June 7, 2023
