“I wasn’t asking for a sip of water,” Ortega said in an Esquire interview published Aug. 11. “I would go all day without eating, drinking, whatever, because I wanted so badly to not be in the way of anybody.”

Ortega made the disclosure while answering a question about a “rookie mistake” she had made on her first set. She initially said she could not think of a mistake she had made as a child because she was “so grateful and so excited to be there” that she kept what she called her “game face” on.

She then reconsidered that answer, adding, “Maybe that was my mistake, was not actually looking after myself.”

The remarks were also reported by People and the New York Post’s Page Six, both of which described Ortega’s comments as a reflection on the pressure she placed on herself during her early career.

A pattern of self-erasure

Ortega’s account was framed as a description of her own behavior rather than an allegation that a particular production or individual instructed her to avoid food or water. The interview does not identify a specific set, production company, director or colleague connected to the experience.

Her explanation centered on gratitude, excitement and a desire to remain unobtrusive. Ortega said she wanted “so badly” not to be “in the way of anybody,” linking the decision not to request basic necessities with her effort to present herself as easy to work with.

That distinction matters because the available reporting does not establish that Ortega was denied meals, water or breaks. The verified point is that she chose not to ask for them, according to her own account.

Page Six reported that Ortega connected the behavior to her early acting career and to her determination to impress people on set. The publication also reported that she now considers neglecting her own needs a mistake.

Why the remarks drew attention

The comments quickly circulated because they describe a young performer treating ordinary physical needs as potential disruptions to a workplace. The Tab reproduced the relevant portion of Ortega’s answer and reported that she had spoken about spending entire days on set without food or water.

The account also prompted discussion about the expectations placed on child actors, although the sources reviewed for this report do not provide evidence that Ortega’s experience represents every young performer’s working conditions. No source reviewed reported that Ortega has been diagnosed with an eating disorder or another health condition related to the comments.

That absence of information is important because Ortega’s comments concerned past conduct on set, not a stated current medical diagnosis. Reporting that goes beyond what Ortega said would risk turning a brief reflection about workplace behavior into an unsupported claim about her present health.

Ortega’s career context

Ortega began acting as a child and later became internationally recognized for playing Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s “Wednesday.” The Esquire feature, titled “How I Got Here,” presents her career as a progression from child performer to one of the best-known young actors working in Hollywood.

In the interview, Ortega also discussed the uncertainty surrounding her career and her experiences working on major projects, but the eating and drinking disclosure arose specifically in response to the question about an early professional mistake. The available sources do not report that she attributed the behavior to a formal rule, a contractual requirement or a direct command from production staff.

Her retrospective conclusion was direct: being grateful to work did not mean she should have ignored her own needs. By calling that lack of self-care a possible mistake, Ortega presented the experience as something she now views critically rather than as a standard that other child actors should follow.

What is established—and what is not

The central facts are supported by Ortega’s original Esquire appearance and by multiple reports published Aug. 12: she said she did not ask for a sip of water, said she could go all day without eating or drinking, explained that she wanted not to be in anyone’s way, and acknowledged that failing to care for herself may have been a mistake.

The sources do not establish how often this happened, how long the practice continued, which productions were involved, whether anyone noticed, or whether it affected Ortega’s health. They also do not support claims that Ortega currently restricts food or fluids, has a specific medical condition, or was compelled by an employer to do so.

For now, Ortega’s own words offer a narrowly defined but revealing account of how a young performer’s desire to be professional and unobtrusive led her to overlook basic needs. Her conclusion—that not looking after herself may have been the mistake—remains the clearest assessment of the experience provided in the interview.

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