Jenna Ortega cries while talking about how toxic trolls can be on social media

Jenna Ortega has become emotional while recalling the trolling she has received on social media.

As part of Variety’s Actors-on-Actors series, the actor spoke candidly to Elle Fanning about the toxicity of online trolling.

“Social media, what it does to anyone our age, it’s such a comparing game,” Ortega began.

“It influences bandwagon mentality. It’s very manipulative.”

She said that while she wants to channel her ‘deadpan’ humour on social media, she's careful with what she posts as she fears people will misinterpret it.

Ortega added that the more famous she's become following the release of Netflix’s Wednesday, the more trolling she faces.

“They see your vulnerability and twist it in a way that you don’t always expect,” she said, breaking down in tears.

“It’s so strange. Sorry, I didn’t mean to do this.

“It’s such a hard thing to balance. Because how do you be honest without jeopardising your own health and safety? It’s very easy to feel almost out of control.”

Fanning, who agreed with the 20-year-old, said she wishes she was ‘funnier’ online but is acutely aware of the backlash that may come with it.

Last month, Fanning shared that she was rejected from a Hollywood role because she didn’t have enough Instagram followers.

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“I did try out for…I’m not going to say what it was, but I didn’t get a part once for something big because – it might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard – was because I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time,” she said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

Well, the irony is that this must have been a while back because the 25-year-old now boasts six million followers on Instagram.

In another interview with Ortega during The Hollywood Reporter’s Roundtable, Fanning also revealed how she was once rejected for a role because she was deemed ‘unf*ckable’.

Mind you, people, she was only 16.

“I didn’t get it. I don’t even think they ever made it, but it was a father-daughter road trip comedy,” Fanning said.

“I didn’t hear from my agents because they wouldn’t tell me things like this – that filtration system is really important because there’s probably a lot more damaging comments that they filtered – but this one got to me. I was 16 years old, and a person said, ‘Oh, she didn’t get the father-daughter road trip comedy because she’s unf**kable.’”

Just wow.

Topics: News, TV and Film, Jenna Ortega, Celebrity, Social Media

Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis