Jenna Ortega worries about her ‘social anxiety’ after being overwhelmed by fans before the Met Gala

Actress Jenna Ortega has sparked concerns about her social anxiety after being mobbed by eager fans the night before the Met Gala.

The Scream star, 22, was captured leaving The Mark Hotel in New York City on Sunday night as she was swarmed by fans.

In the video, Jenna was dressed in a revealing black mini dress which she paired with sunglasses, knee-high boots, and a chic leather jacket.

However, it was not the star’s ensemble that caught viewers’ eye – with many instead expressing their worries about her demeanor.

As she emerged from the hotel, Jenna briefly stopped to give one fan an autograph, as the girl declared: ‘You’re literally my favorite actress.’

But Jenna seemed completely unmoved and instead only offered a half-hearted smile in response.

The downcast star then attempted to then rush to her car but was mobbed by other fans as she turned around.

As Jenna moved through the crowd, her security guard politely requested some space for her, emphasizing, ‘Give us a little space, please.’ Despite the guard’s efforts, people continued to follow Jenna closely, making her visibly uncomfortable. In a rush to escape the crowd, Jenna quickly asked, ‘Which car please?’

As one woman shoved her phone in front of the star’s face while she was walking, Jenna gave a small wave but didn’t stop. 

People in the comments were quick to express their concerns about Jenna, who has previously opened up about her struggles with anxiety.

‘You can tell she has social anxiety,’ someone wrote.

‘She has social anxiety, by the way. She’s not being rude,’ another shared.

‘I can literally feel the social anxiety. This is messed up,’ a person wrote.

Other users were pointed out the ‘rude’ fans, as one added: ‘Are people not embarrassed doing all of this? All up in her face.’

Another said: ‘No wonder why she doesn’t want photos with people when they shove the phones in her face.’

‘Guys calm down,’ a person simply said.

‘The way people cut in front to do the selfie is so rude,’ a user observed. 

‘They treat like her like she’s not even human,’ someone wrote.

‘Wow, what a crowd of people, it’s really hard when everyone is pestering you with their phones,’ a comment read.

During an interview on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard in 2023, Jenna revealed she has ‘immense social anxiety.’

Jenna reflected on her younger days when she enjoyed talking to anyone and was known as the outgoing kid. She recalled how her ability to connect with people fueled her desire to pursue a career that allowed her to engage with others easily. She fondly remembered entertaining adults by making them laugh, sharing stories, and putting on small performances for them.

‘Now, the idea of having to hang out with people, even some of my closest friends, makes me nervous and then I feel like I can’t be myself.

Struggling with expressing herself verbally, Jenna shared her challenges with speech, admitting, ‘I have a really big thing with speech where I feel like I can’t always articulate things the way that I want them to. The images I see in my head are so different from how they actually come out when I speak.’

‘That’s why I like to write a lot because it sounds like myself whereas when I speak I don’t feel I can reach people.’

She also previously had a vulnerable chat with Elle Fanning during Variety’s Actors on Actors series. 

While chatting about navigating childhood stardom, Jenna revealed that her relationship with Instagram can get ‘ugly.’ 

The star began to cry as she shared how her ‘sarcastic’ and ‘dry’ sense of humor makes it ‘very easy’ for her to get herself ‘in trouble.’ 

‘I want people to be able to get to know the people behind the camera and realize that people should never be put on a pedestal,’ she explained. 

‘And the more I’ve been exposed to the world, people prey on that and take advantage of that. They see your vulnerability and twist it in a way that you don’t always expect.’

At this point, Ortega began to get choked up, as she reflected on how ‘strange’ it is trying to be ‘honest without jeopardizing your own health and safety.’

‘It’s very easy to feel almost out of control,’ the Golden Globe nominee admitted. 

‘I still have this really intense urge to be human and honest and authentic.’

Jenna also noted how ‘gross’ it makes her feel to be told to ‘smile’ or have ‘more energy.’

She concluded: ‘I don’t want to feel gross. I would rather people see me cry and do whatever than be something I’m not.’

During a discussion on the Heart Evening Show with Dev Griffin regarding her upcoming movie, Death Of A Unicorn, Jenna took the opportunity to share how her OCD affects her evening. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a mental health condition marked by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that people struggle to control.

Speaking about her condition and how her busy lifestyle and work schedule make having an evening routine ‘difficult’, Jenna said: ‘It’s quite difficult, because we’re always travelling for work and it’s always a new environment, and whatever the job is you kind of have to create a new routine that you can only really stick to for six weeks.

‘I would say that I feel like I get more accomplished at night because in the morning I really don’t want to flood my brain with too many other things if I have work coming up. 

‘I’ll focus on that, and then I too feel the need to go to bed around 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm. But I don’t, because it’s the only time I can get things done. So, I usually find myself up late reading scripts and answering emails, doing things like that.’

She added: ‘Also when I’m tired, I have pretty intense OCD. So, that’s kind of my routine, in terms of repetitive thoughts, counting everything multiple times, and having to do the same action over and over.

‘So sometimes my nights consist of just being really exhausted and going up and down the stairs six times because that’s what I think I need to do to make sure no one breaks into my home.’