Jenna Ortega Avoids Her Own Films and Reviews to Protect Mental Health

Jenna Ortega shared that she deliberately avoids watching her own films and reading reviews, stating that engaging with such content could lead to a "psychosis." The 24-year-old actress prioritizes maintaining firm boundaries around her public image and her relationship with her work.

Ortega explained in a recent Vogue interview that she actively distances herself from critical commentary and box office figures. She intentionally does not open updates on her movies' financial performance because she "doesn't want it to become a numbers thing." Her exposure to discussions about her films comes primarily through word-of-mouth or social media platforms, which she is using less frequently.

"So much of what you see on there nowadays is just garbage AI. We all look at ourselves too much," Ortega commented, emphasizing her desire to limit online engagement.

This approach to managing her public persona comes as Ortega has been promoting her new film, "Klara and the Sun." The actress recently attended premieres in London, Rome, and New York. In New York, she appeared at the Crosby Street Hotel in a fringed dress, accompanied by co-star Amy Adams.

The film, based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, features Ortega as Klara, a robot designed to combat loneliness in an alternative future where genetic engineering has created distinct social classes. The plot involves Klara being purchased as a companion for a teenage girl named Josie, played by Mia Tharia, whose mother, Chrissie, is portrayed by Amy Adams. Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne also star in the movie.

Despite the promotional tour, "Klara and the Sun" has garnered largely negative reviews since its premiere at the British Film Institute London Film Festival. The film currently holds a 20% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 reviews. Major publications like The Telegraph, The Times, and The Guardian have given it one-star ratings.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the adaptation as a "sentimental and laborious mess," criticizing director Taika Waititi's rendition of Ishiguro's AI fable as "twee, tiresome." Variety's Guy Lodge called the film "calamitous," noting that while Ortega "tries hard to illuminate this misbegotten Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation," Waititi's directorial choices for "strained, whimsical comedy" were "ruinous." Tim Robey of The Telegraph deemed the movie "mind-meltingly dreadful."

"Klara and the Sun" is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on October 23.