Disney World performer says job left her with PTSD and an eating disorder

An ex-Disney World Cast member has opened up about the reality of working at the park. She says that character actors could be dismissed for speaking another language.  

Jessica Tremmel, 32, from Florida, played Lady Tremaine — Cinderella’s stepmother — at the resort, and while she no longer works there, she has been opening up about her experience in a series of TikTok videos. 

The retired dancer, who claims to suffer from body dysmorphia and post-traumatic stress disorder from her time at Disney, went viral earlier this month when she dished about the characters only being allowed to speak English.  

Keeping it real: Jessica Tremmel, 32, from Florida, has been opening up about her experience working as a character actor at Disney World in a series of candid TikTok videos

Jessica revealed that she once secretly spoke Spanish, French and German to English speaking guests.  

She said, “If I were caught, that would be a huge reprimand, and possibly getting fired.” “But, I enjoyed going up to people with different languages and surprising them by the fact I could speak their language.

This video was viewed over 1.3 million times and viewers asked many questions about the actress who played a Disney-related character. 

A person suggested that Lady Tremaine must at least be fluent in French considering Cinderella is set in France. Jessica agreed.

She said, in a subsequent clip: “It would only be sensible for those characters to at minimum understand French,” “It’s not easy to cast actors in the U.S. speaking French. 

When someone spoke French to her in character, and she understood it, she could respond in English. But that is rare.  

Throwback: The retired dancer and actress played Cinderella’s stepmother, Lady Tremaine

What are you waiting for? Jessica went viral earlier this month when she dished about the company’s alleged language rule. Jessica claimed that character actors in American Disney parks speak only English

She said that most people do not just communicate in their native languages to someone they think isn’t theirs. So the French speakers won’t start talking French to me. All of them assumed I did not speak French.

The actress explained in another video that the language rule has been put in place to preserve ‘character integrity’ throughout the parks. All Lady Tremaines would have to learn French if one spoke it.      

She stated that she was fully aware of what she did, which violated the rules. “I reached a place where the benefits to guests outweighed the risks.

She wasn’t caught but is conscious that today would be a tough day for her. 

“Back then, videotaping people was not as popular,” she said. “I didn’t worry about someone taking my video and it ending on YouTube. As long as I didn’t have any managers, I was free to say what I liked. 

It was pointed out that the language rules only apply to American Disney parks. This didn’t make any sense.    

Wild: Jessica admitted that she would secretly speak Spanish and French to guests, but she would have gotten reprimanded and possibly fired if she got caught

One exception: She explained in a follow up video that Elena of Avalor was the first Latina Disney princess and was therefore allowed to speak Spanish.

“In Disneyland Paris they are encouraged and allowed to use multiple languages. They don’t get into trouble for doing so,” she said. That is something I don’t like. If you want to have a standard, then it should be uniform across the parks. 

According to Jessica, the exception to the rule is Elena of Avalor, Disney’s first Latina princess. Spanish is no longer required for character actors portraying her. 

‘Elena is approved to be bilingual and speak both languages,’ she shared in one clip. When they first cast Elena, bilingual was a requirement. It’s not as important anymore. Problem is that Elena was introduced to me after I had worked there. 

“The rules remained the same for all characters, however,” she said. Elena might be able to speak English and Spanish if she meets you. However, she may not. Don’t worry if you don’t speak Spanish.

While it’s not known how many years Jessica spent at Disney World after having her first baby, it was clear that her time there was short.

She said in a recent video that she lost her status as a part-time seasonal employee because she failed to clock in enough hours in character after she welcomed her first child. 

Jessica was full-time working at Universal’s Call Center. Although she could have been transferred to another Disney Department, she decided not to.  

Hard to handle: Jessica also alleged that her ongoing struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and body dysmorphia ‘come directly from [her] time at Disney’

Jessica says she was difficult to eat because of the constant comments made by managers and others. [her]Body on a daily basis

“I made more on the phone answering phones at Universal than as a Disney character,” she stated.  

Her mental health was also affected by her job. She claimed that her ongoing struggles with PTSD and body dysmorphia ‘come directly from [her] time at Disney.’ 

According to Mayo Clinic: Body dysmorphic Disorder (BBD), a mental illness in which one can’t help but think of perceived flaws or defects in an individual’s appearance is known as body dysmorphic disorder.   

She explained that she developed an eating disorder while working at Disney. Managers and others were always making negative comments about my body every day. 

“Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is another disorder that I’m currently diagnosed with. She explained that this is directly related to my experience as a performer, where people grabbed me and came up behind me. I would not be aware they were even there. 

“It also stems from men constantly grabbing me, especially males, and touching my without my consent. It’s like they don’t know how to stop me. I have panic attacks when I get grabbed.

DailyMail.com reached out to Walt Disney World in order for comments.