Jenna Ortega cries as she talks to Elle Fanning about social media pressure

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Under pressure. Jenna Ortega cried while talking to Ella Fanning about the intensity of social media use as a young actress.

For Varietyfrom the series ‘Actors about actors’published on Wednesday, June 7, the Scream 6 star, 20, and the Girl from Plainville alum, 25, spoke at length about their experiences navigating Hollywood in the face of stardom at a young age — especially when it comes to Instagram.

Although Ortega has been acting since she was a child – and has a starring role in the scream franchise — it wasn’t until Wednesday premiered in November 2022 that the Netflix star “noticed a very distinct shift in my life, maybe three days after the show came out.”

For Fanning, who, like Ortega, has been in the spotlight since she was a young girl, social media “can become toxic,” she told the X actress – who immediately agreed.

“Yeah, it’s getting ugly,” Ortega shared, explaining that she was under a lot of pressure from a young age to build her following.

“When I was younger, they would take us to media training — Disney 101 or something like that — where they’d say, ‘You’re going to post three times a day.’ This is how you build followers, get involved and promote our show,” she recalled. “You could go into an audition or meeting and it was, ‘How many followers do you have?'”

It wasn’t just the industry that wanted perfection, Ortega noted. “Social media, what it does to anyone our age, it’s such a comparative game. It influences the bandwagon mentality. It’s very manipulative. After the show, I’m really nervous about posting anything there or even saying anything about it or even just being myself because I feel like -“

“It can be misinterpreted,” Fanning interjected.

Jenna Ortega. Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

“Yes. Because I tend to be sarcastic or dry by nature, I can get into trouble very easily. I want people to get to know the people behind the camera and realize that people should never be put on a pedestal,” Ortega agreed, crying.

“And the more I’ve been exposed to the world, people are chasing that and taking advantage of that. They see your vulnerability and twist it in a way you don’t always expect,” she said tearfully, apologizing for her tears. “It’s so strange. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do this.”

The California native revealed that she struggles with how to “balance” her online presence as she wants to “be honest without putting her at risk.” [my] own health and safety,” she said. “It’s very easy to feel almost out of control.”

In his pursuit of being “human, honest and authentic,” Ortega admonished Hollywood’s “crude” demands.

“Another thing about this industry is you’re in front of a camera and people want you to be something else — where it’s ‘Have more energy’ or ‘Can you smile?’ and it just feels dirty. And I don’t want to feel dirty,” she explained. “I’d rather people see me cry and do whatever than be something I’m not.”