Actress Jenna Ortega has always had an interest in horror, appearing in TV shows like “Wednesday” and films like “Scream” and “X.”
Since becoming famous as a child thanks to the Disney Channel, Ortega has experienced a different kind of scare, and it all has to do with artificial intelligence.
“I hate AI,” the upcoming “Beetlejuice” actress told The New York Times on its podcast, “The Interview.”
'Wednesday' star Jenna Ortega responds to backlash over controversial comments on the show
Jenna Ortega, who has been performing since she was a child, says she received AI-generated sexually explicit photos of herself when she was 14. (Cindy Ord/MG23/The Met Museum/Getty Images via Vogue)
“AI could be used for incredible things,” she said, referring to medical advances. “Was I 14 and I made a Twitter account because I had to, and I loved looking at salacious edited content of myself as a child? No. It's horrifying. It's corrupting. It's wrong. It's disgusting.”
Ortega, who has starred in the Disney series “Stuck in the Middle” since 2016, said she was exposed to explicit content from the moment she joined social media.
Jenna Ortega starred on Disney Channel's “Stuck in the Middle” for three seasons. (Adam Taylor/Disney Channel via Getty Images)
“Did you, at 14, create a Twitter account because you had to, and enjoy looking at salacious edited content of yourself as a child? No. It's horrifying. It's corrupting. It's wrong. It's disgusting.”
Jenna Ortega
“The first direct message I ever opened on my own, when I was 12, was of a picture of a man's genitals, and that was just the beginning of what was to come,” she said. Ortega said she also received AI-generated child pornography of herself.
“I used to have a Twitter account and people said, 'Yeah, go for it, create your own image'. I ended up deleting it a couple of years ago because after the show['Wednesday']there was a ton of ridiculous images and pictures posted and it was so annoying and I was already in such a state of chaos that I thought it was unnecessary so I deleted it. I didn't need it.”
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Jenna Ortega arrives at the world premiere of 'Wednesday' in Hollywood. (Michael Thalberg/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Ortega plays Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series “Wednesday,” a spin-off of the original “Addams Family” series that first aired in 1964. The show has garnered a lot of attention, with videos of Ortega dancing in character from the show going viral on the Internet.
The actress, now 21, says she used to use Twitter (now X) to make political and personal statements.
Jenna Ortega decided the best way to address the content issue was to delete her Twitter account. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
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“And I was frustrated by this stuff. It really disgusted me,” she said, adding that the content she came across made her feel “nasty” and “uncomfortable.”
“I deleted it because I couldn't say anything without seeing that stuff. And I don't need to see it every day. So I woke up one day and I was like, 'Oh, I don't need this anymore.' So I deleted it.”
Jenna Ortega was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in “Wednesday.” (Randy Shropshire/Getty Images via Paramount+)
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Ortega said she is “learning” how to protect herself, and she still has an Instagram account.
A representative for the actress did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow her on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Send your story tips to [email protected].
