Jenna Ortega defends putting her ‘foot down’ after controversial comments about Wednesday
Jenna Ortega had previously said she had to “put her foot down” with the Wednesday script. (Netflix)
Jenna Ortega has explained why she “put her foot down” on the set of Netflix’s dark comedy Wednesday, after making controversial comments about the writing of the Netflix series.
Scream queen Ortega starred as the titular terrible teen in the Addams Family spin-off that followed the youngest member of the murderous clan as she attends Nevermore Academy and deals with all the trials of growing up – all while solving a murder.
The show became an instant craze, but Ortega revealed after its release that while filming, she would cut lines or refuse to say them, including one particular piece of self-reflection about the character’s prom dress, and that she became “became almost unprofessional“.
Those on-set decisions did not go down particularly well with some writers, who criticised her for “publically sh*tting on” the Wednesday team.
Now, during a discussion with Elle Fanning, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and others, for The Hollywood Reporter, Ortega said: “When I went into Wednesday, I really put my foot down and made it clear that everything I had to say mattered and was heard.
“I know what it’s like to be a people-pleaser in this industry, and I know how unhappy or how frustrating it’s been in the past,” she added.
Ortega then justified her actions by recalling past experiences that made her feel like “a puppet” where her “voice wasn’t heard”, and explained how those incidents informed her decisions on set.
“I’ve been told on sets: ‘You wouldn’t know because you’re not a writer’, or, ‘Just shut up and do your job’. From 12 years old, I’ve been hearing things like that.”
Now 20, the Scream VI star confirmed that she would be returning for the second season of Wednesday in a producing capacity as well as the lead character.
“I feel really, really fortunate to be coming on as a producer this time around,” she said.
Ortega is set to continue her reign as one of horror’s most loved star in the upcoming, long-awaited sequel to 1988 cult-classic Beetlejuice as Winona Ryder’s daughter.
No release date for Beetlejuice 2 or Wednesday season two has yet been announced.
