Jenna Ortega has always been open about the way being a child actor has affected her. And now, at 24, the public still seems to struggle with the fact that she is an adult woman. Standing at 5’1, Ortega’s experience is all too relatable for another famous star – Natalie Portman.
© GettyOrtega and Portman star together in the dark comedy thriller The Gallerist directed by Cathy Yan. In Portman’s Vogue cover story, the actresses, who both started working in Hollywood as children, say they continue to face an unexpected challenge as adults: being treated as if they are still kids.
© WWDPortman is only 5’3, and she opened up about how her petite stature and decades in the entertainment industry have influenced the way people perceive her, admitting that even now, she sometimes feels as though others struggle to see her as a grown woman.
© Patrick CAMBOULIVE“I mean, I’m 45. I’m fully nowhere near being a child anymore,” Portman said. “Just being small, I think a lot of people relate to you differently. I think that that compounds the issue too when you have been a kid actor.”
The 24-year-old understood what she meant. Having entered the industry at a young age herself, the Wednesday star said she has experienced similar treatment, particularly when people who remember her as a young performer struggle to recognize how much she is no longer a little girl.
© Getty“It can be a little bit jarring because people speak at you differently,” Ortega said. “And I think maybe that is the key word, speak at, especially if they get to know you as a young performer at first, because I think it’s really hard for people to get over that and no longer infantilize you or speak to you like you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
For Ortega, finding that common ground with Portman was both validating and a reminder that the issue might not disappear simply because she gets older or continues to establish herself as a leading actress.
Working alongside Portman helped her realize “one, I’m not alone in this,” and then “two, well, if she’s still dealing with this, this is something that is just going to be a part of my life, and I have to accept that and do what I can to still be comfortable with taking up my space.”
Jenna Ortega has spoken out about being underestimated before
© Mega/The Grosby GroupOrtega has been candid about the challenges of growing up in Hollywood, particularly when it comes to being taken seriously in an industry that watched her transition from child performer to adult star.
The actress began pursuing acting as a child and landed roles in productions including Jane the Virgin before becoming a household name playing Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday.
While the role elevated her career to another level, it also meant that millions of viewers became accustomed to seeing her as a teenage character.
In a May 2025 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Ortega discussed the frustration of feeling as though her age, appearance, and previous roles could overshadow her experience.
“It’s always been really annoying, because you just don’t feel like you’re being taken seriously,” she said at the time. “You know, it’s like how you’re dressed in the schoolgirl costume… There’s just something about it that’s very patronizing. Also, when you’re short, people are already physically looking down on you.”
In the same interview, Portman explained, “We’re both physically tiny, so people will often treat you like a child forever,” she said. “I’m 43 now, and people kind of pat me on the head. I don’t look like a child, but I often feel like I’m treated like a kid.”
© GettyPortman also explained why some former child actors develop a more serious public persona as they grow older. “Child actors often cultivate a serious persona because otherwise they’ll get treated like kids forever,” she said. “When you start working as a kid, you kind of always feel like a kid in the workplace. Having some of that seriousness helps remind people, ‘I’m a grown-up.’
Portman made her film debut at 13 in Léon: The Professional before moving on to projects such as Star Wars, Closer, and Black Swan.
When does The Gallerist come out?
© IndieWireTheir film, The Gallerist, directed and co-written by Yan, brings the actresses together in a dark comedy about the art world. Portman plays a gallery owner, while Ortega portrays her assistant.
The film will be released on December 4, 2026,
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