After Backlash, Jenna Ortega Goes Into Detail About Why She Put Her 'Foot Down' On The Set Of Wednesday
Jenna Ortega elaborates on why she made changes to Wednesday.
Wednesday and Jenna Ortega were the talk of the town when The Addams-Family spin-off hit Netflix in 2022. From her viral dance to gothic clothes, we’ve been discussing this series for a while. However, one section of the discourse that has caused some controversy is around comments the actress made about changing lines in the scripts. Now, she’s gone into detail about why she felt the need to put her “foot down” on set and make changes to her character that she felt were necessary.
A few months after Wednesday took over the internet, Jenna Ortega opened up about changes she made to her character. The actress explained on Armchair Expert that she became “unprofessional, in a sense,” because she started changing lines on set. This comment, plus what she said on The Tonight Show about aspects of the show that “made no sense” to her caused backlash.
Writers roasted her during the strike by referencing what the Scream VI said on their picket signs, and a Daredevil producer went on a tirade about her, calling her statement “entitled and toxic.” Now, the actress, who is also a producer on Season 2 of the Netflix hit, has gone into detail about why she felt like she needed to put her “foot down” on set while speaking during a roundtable with THR. She said:
She continued to talk about growing up on sets, explaining what she’s been told when she wanted to have input on her character. Then Ortega spoke about how she was able to collaborate with Tim Burton and the writers to really help shape Wednesday Addams. She said:
Jenna Ortega has been open about the challenges on Wednesday. She’s spoken about how she was “scared” and almost passed on the Addams Family spin-off. The actress has also explained how hard shooting Wednesday was as she worked tons of hours, learned lots of new skills, and she was trying to help shape her character. Continuing to talk about why she felt the need to speak up about how her character was written, the Golden Globe-nominated performer said:
As Wednesday moves into Season 2, Jenna Ortega is set to both star and produce making it clear that she’s excited to be involved with her character’s future from the jump. Based on her comments, it also seems like she has a good relationship with the writers and Tim Burton on the Netflix show, so I’m excited to see what comes of their work on the new installment of the megahit.
While Season 2 of Wednesday likely won’t premiere on the 2023 TV schedule, it’s been renewed and is on the way. In the meantime, you can stream Season 1 with a Netflix subscription.
CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.