‘Wednesday’: Jenna Ortega Felt ‘Defeated’ During the First Month of Filming

Jenna Ortega had been compared to Wednesday Addams for years before she ever starred in the Netflix show. The comparisons started when she was only a kid and put her hair in pigtailed braids. The actor’s penchant for dark humor, dead animal autopsies, and sarcasm only caused the comparisons to increase. Curious, she ended up watching the ’90s flicks and fell in love with the character.

How Jenna Ortega got cast in ‘Wednesday’

As someone steeped in the entertainment industry, Ortega heard whispers about Netflix potentially making a show around Wednesday. And when she got wind that Tim Burton was interested in her for the titular role, she set up a meeting. After reading the sides and having a conversation with the filmmaker, she decided that she wanted to join the cast as the lead.

Ortega didn’t have a chance to rehearse for the Netflix series

But as excited as Ortega was to play Wednesday, she admits that the role was a challenge for her. Not only did she have to reimagine an iconic character, but she also had to put herself through rigorous training for Wednesday. Cello lessons, stunt lessons, German lessons, fencing lessons, and more were tacked on to The Fallout star’s 12-hour shoot days. To say that the actor was overwhelmed would be an understatement. Adding to her stress was the sheer number of people weighing in on who her version of Wednesday should be. While speaking with Christina Ricci for Interview Magazine, Ortega got candid about her experience.

The actor admits to feeling defeated during her first month of filming ‘Wednesday’

“There have never been so many cooks in the kitchen,” Ortega explained about filming Wednesday. “I was completely lost and confused. Typically I have no problem using my voice, but when you’re in it—I just remember feeling defeated after the first ​​month. So I think something really wonderful that has come out of the show is that I can use my voice in a much stronger way than I ever have. I’ve been so much better about being honest about my opinions and thoughts, which I’m really grateful for.” 

How ‘Wednesday’ helped Ortega learn to use her voice more

One thing Ortega learned to speak up about was her vision for the character. Because she spent so much time becoming Wednesday, she felt it was her duty to protect her character. She admits that oftentimes she felt like Wednesday was becoming too ordinary. Fortunately, she had people on set who encouraged her to advocate for her character.

“I felt like sometimes in the attempt to make her a human girl, they were trying to make her any other teenage girl,” Ortega shared about Wednesday. “I remember Tim being really wonderful about things like that and calling me to his trailer in the mornings and saying, ‘What are you uncomfortable saying? What do you want to say?’ When you have supportive collaborators like Tim, it makes it a lot easier. There were a couple people like that on set who were my rocks, for sure.”

Despite feeling overwhelmed at times, Ortega still managed to give a standout performance. Hopefully, if Wednesday is renewed for season 2, she continues to exert her agency and the voice that she found in season 1.