Jenna Ortega says she wanted to be ‘the Puerto Rican Dakota Fanning’

Jenna Ortega met one of her childhood idols. The ‘Wednesday’ star had an insightful conversation with Elle Fanning during Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors,’ and revealed that she grew up idolizing her and Dakota Fanning’s career in the film industry.

The actress explained that when she was younger she told her mom that she wanted to have a successful career, just like Dakota’s, who at that point had starred in multiple blockbuster films. “The only reason why I’m acting is because I said I wanted to be the Puerto Rican Dakota Fanning,” she confessed.

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“We were obsessed with Dakota’s work,” Jenna continued, admitting that when she found out the young actress had a sister, she “idolized” the two stars “for the longest time,” and would “follow” their careers because she wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Jenna went on to describe the two sisters as “these enigmatic, glorious, talented figures” in her head, before adding that it was “very strange” to be in the same room with Elle for the special segment. The pair shared a hug, with Elle revealing her surprise at Jenna’s anecdote.

“Immense respect for everything you do and all that you’ve accomplished,” Jenna concluded. The two Hollywood stars also had an emotional conversation about living their lives in the spotlight and managing negative social media comments.

“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,” Jenna said about social media, getting emotional about the importance of having the support of her family and “protecting” herself from hateful comments.