‘Wednesday’: Jenna Ortega Says Portraying the Iconic Addams Character Was ‘Terrifying’
Jenna Ortega is set to portray Wednesday Addams on Netflix‘s Wednesday. The character became a cultural icon because of 1991’s The Addams Family, where Christina Ricci starred in the role. As a result, Ortega says taking on the role was terrifying.
Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ will debut on Nov. 22
The Addams Family is getting a 21st-century revamp with Netflix’s Wednesday. The TV series is helmed by Tim Burton and follow the 16-year-old as she enters Nevermore school for outcasts. The official description for the series reads,
Wednesday is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting 16-year-old Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Season one will follow Wednesday as she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the murder mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.
Jenny Ortega says portraying Wednesday Addams was ‘terrifying’
Ortega was thrilled to get the Wednesday role and work alongside Tim Burton. However, she explained that it was intimidating to step into the role.
“Especially working with someone like Tim Burton for the first time, who is a legend…you know you never really know what to expect, and you want to do a good job, and I respect this character so much I just wanted to do her right,” she shared with Rappler.
More than that, Ortega and Ricci, who portray Nevermore professor Marilyn Thornhill in the series, didn’t discuss the character at all.
“We did not talk about Wednesday once,” Ortega told Rappler. “And it’s funny because I think the assumption was that there’s a part of me that really didn’t want to, and we met each other, and I think it was very clear that she really didn’t want to either. Our Wednesdays are very different, and if anything, I was just kind of more interested in where she was from and what her deal was, and what her experience was. I think we relate a lot, and I think we got along really well.”
Jenna Ortega says she has a lot in common with her character
Though portraying such an iconic character was terrifying to the Jane the Virgin alum, she related to the character in more ways than she initially thought she would. In fact, Ortega says she has a lot in common with the macabre teen.
“I relate to her and I feel very similar to the way that she does,” Ortega told Rappler. “I feel like oftentimes I ostracize myself, I don’t know many people, I enjoy my solitude, we have a lot of the same interests. I think it’s really important for people to see, and especially, it’s really wonderful that she’s kind of the lead anti-hero and not just some side character. Freak representation is crucial, and I think it’s really nice for them to be seen in a positive, disturbing light.”
It should be thrilling to see Ortega bring Wednesday to life.
