And she doesn’t even want to see the show. Ouch!
The much-anticipated Netflix series Wednesday, directed by Tim Burton, generated a lot of buzz and excitement among fans when it was released last year. But the show’s main star, the young and talented Jenna Ortega, has expressed mixed feelings about her involvement in the project.
Ortega, known for her roles in You and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, was cast as the iconic character Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series, which serves as a coming-of-age story for the enigmatic daughter of the Addams family.
While the casting announcement received a positive response from many fans and industry insiders, Ortega’s own reaction to the role is more complex.
Though she’s received praise and award nominations for playing Wednesday Addams, Jenna Ortega doesn’t consider it the pinnacle of her career. Speaking on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, Ortega explained her mixed feelings about the role, emphasizing her desire not to be associated solely with the character.
Ortega stated that while she can evaluate scenes after leaving the set, her experience with Wednesday was unique in that she couldn’t find a single scene in the show that she was completely proud of.
She characterized this project as one that didn’t particularly align with her proudest moments and mentioned how it contributed to her feelings of insecurity and heightened stress.
The 20-year-old actress found that certain aspects of her character’s actions and storyline didn’t align with her vision for the character. Ortega would sometimes change her character’s lines to make them more appropriate, which led to long discussions with the writers.
Jenna also shared her thoughts on being nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award. The actress expressed her gratitude for the recognition from the public but also mentioned her difficulty in fully understanding it, as it seemed to suggest that people are easily satisfied these days.
The popularity of the show has led Ortega to reflect on the impact it has had on her personal life and professional journey, including the possibility of being pigeonholed into certain roles.
She acknowledged that a significant number of people now know who she is because of the show and that this recognition isn’t the “proudest moment” for her.
Wednesday garnered immense popularity, with news outlets even reporting it as the second most-watched premiere in history. The show also won the National Television Award for Best New Drama, and while Jenna may have had her doubts, her dedication and commitment to the role made a significant impact on the success of the show and the television industry.
