Jenna Ortega is spilling some “Wednesday” tea!
Even though she began receiving acclaim after her portrayal as young Jane in “Jane the Virgin,” Ortega’s career really took off after she played the titular character of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix series. Nearly four months after the show’s premiere, the actress has revealed that she took extra steps to ensure that she made a lasting impression on viewers, including rewriting some lines for her character.
Jenna Ortega Made Multiple Changes To The “Wednesday” Script To Make It More Relatable For Teenagers
Since her appearance in the series, Ortega has earned multiple accolades, comprising a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award and a deal with Adidas. However, as it turns out, she would not have achieved such success if she did not make some “sensible” changes to the script.
The Golden Globes-nominated actress made the disclosure during a conversation on Monday’s episode of “Armchair Expert” podcast, where she said:
“When I read the entire series, I realized, ‘Oh, this is for younger audiences.’ When I first signed onto the show, I didn’t have all the scripts. I thought it was going to be a lot darker. It wasn’t… I didn’t know what the tone was or what the score would sound like.”
After claiming that she has never “had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on ‘Wednesday,'” Ortega pointed out that Wednesday’s involvement in a love triangle “made no sense.” “There were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines,” she continued.
The “Yes Day” star explained that even when the script supervisor assumed she was okay with certain aspects, she still made adjustments, resulting in writers asking, “Wait, what happened to the scene?” Ultimately, Ortega’s plan was to give her character more depth than she had on paper, making it more realistic and relatable for a teenager.
“I grew very, very protective of her. You can’t lead a story and have no emotional arc because then it’s boring, and nobody likes you. When you are little and say very morbid, offensive stuff, it’s funny and endearing. But then you become a teenager, and it’s nasty, and you know it. There’s less of an excuse,” the 20-year-old further detailed.
The last time Ortega opened up about facing challenges on the “Wednesday” set, she stated that it was director Tim Burton who made the call for her character not to “have any expression or emotion at all.” According to the Austin Film Critics Association Awards winner, Burton wanted “a flat surface,” which she understood “except when you’re trying to move a plot along, and Wednesday is in every scene.”
She had also butted heads with the 64-year-old when it came to her viral dance scene in episode four. Ortega revealed that she told him not to hire any choreographer because she felt “so overwhelmed,” opting to come up with the dance herself.
The Adidas Ambassador Could Love To Return To ‘You’
Last month, The Blast noted that Ortega’s highly-anticipated return to the hit Netflix series “You,” was delayed by her “Wednesday” schedule. Per the report, the psychological thriller’s showrunner — Sera Gamble — had divulged the entertainment giant’s intention to bring the actress back as Ellie — one of the few people to survive Joe Goldberg’s — played by Penn Badgley — deadly friendship, stating:
“We wanted to bring Ellie back, and we heard, ‘Oh, Jenna is doing some show.'”
The writer went on to say that since Ortega’s presence was pleasurable, the cast and crew would appreciate working with her again, especially since she was referenced in the show’s ongoing third season. Even though Goldberg has assumed a new identity as Professor Jonathan Moore, his new friendship with one of his students, Nadia, occasionally evokes memories of his close bond with Ellie.
The actress also expressed her excitement about reprising her role in 2019 when she divulged that she would love to see her character “come back and take control of her life.” She added:
“Ellie has so much potential and talent that she shouldn’t waste because of him.”
While fans wait to see if Ortega would make time in her schedule to film, she has had her hands full with other projects, such as her soon-to-be-released slasher film “Scream VI,” “FinestKind,” “Miller’s Girl,” an untitled Trey Edward Shults film, and another season of “Wednesday.”
