Jenna Ortega has said that she is “always scared” when meeting fans and that she sometimes feels “uncomfortable” when approached by grown men.
The Wednesday star, who is currently promoting season two of Tim Burton’s hit Netflix show, has opened up about her struggles under the spotlight.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ortega was asked whether any fan interactions have left her frightened.
The 22-year-old responded candidly, stating: “I’m always scared. Somebody shouting your name in public is insane. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable when it’s grown men approaching me.”
Ortega went on to say that she has received “horrific” verbal abuse on the street, revealing that she was once called a “c*** whore” in front of her mother.
Asked whether it is possible for her to go out in public incognito, the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star replied: “Sometimes you go out, and it’s a mess. And other times, I could be walking for hours and no one gives a s***. If you really want to go unseen, you can do it.”
Ortega explained that she feels “incredibly misunderstood” by the public’s perception of her. “It’s almost to a point where it feels like your name doesn’t belong to you,” she said.
“I almost don’t even resonate with it anymore. I hate assumptions, and a big part of this job is that people are going to make assumptions about you.”
This is not the first time that Ortega has spoken about feeling ill at ease with Wednesday’s stratospheric success since its first season premiered in 2022.
Earlier this year, the actor told Harper’s Bazaar: “To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person. After the pressure, the attention – as somebody who’s quite introverted, that was so intense and so scary.”
Released in November 2022, the first season of Wednesday surpassed Stranger Things to become Netflix’s most-watched title in a single week. One week later, it broke its own record, amassing streams of more than 400 million hours in just seven days.
Wednesday season two will be released in two parts, with the first debuting on 6 August and part two arriving on 3 September.
Ortega will reprise her role as the solemn Addams family daughter alongside Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Luis Guzmán as Gomez, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley.
New cast additions in season two include Steve Buscemi, Lady Gaga, and Joanna Lumley, who will play Wednesday’s grandmother.