Wednesday star Jenna Ortega addresses the backlash that ensued after her critical comments about season 1’s writing. Premiering in 2022 and based on the iconic Addams Family character, the hit Netflix mystery series follows Ortega’s Wednesday as she attends Nevermore Academy and begins to investigate a series of murders. While the show was a massive hit and Wednesday season 2 is now confirmed to be on the way, Ortega found herself under fire last year after revealing that she would frequently change aspects of the show’s scripts she didn’t agree with.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Ortega speaks out about the controversy, defending her own actions while also explaining that she understands the backlash. According to Ortega, she was looking to become more active in the creative decision-making for the show, but was told that it’s relatively rare for a lead actor to become a producer on a first season. She will, however, be getting a producer credit on season 2. Check out Ortega’s comments below:
“I think it’s natural to be fearful of signing your life away and wanting some sort of agency or wanting confirmation that your voice would be heard. I’m aware of my position as an actor. I know that I’m not in charge…. But I think with someone like Wednesday, who is in every scene, it only makes sense for that person to be that involved in what’s going on behind the scenes because she’s onscreen every second of the project.
“And then I think a lot of the work that I ended up doing, and a lot of the conversations that I was having were more of a producer’s conversations half the time.
“To be fair, I think I probably could have been…. I probably could have used my words better in describing all of that. I think, oftentimes, I’m such a rambler. I think it was hard because I felt like had I represented the situation better, it probably would’ve been received better.
“Everything that I said felt so magnified…. It felt almost dystopian to me. I felt like a caricature of myself.
“You’re never going to please everybody, and as someone who naturally was a people pleaser, that was really hard for me to understand. Some people just may not like you…and that’s entirely fine. I got sick of myself last year. My face was everywhere…so it’s like, fair enough, if I were opening my phone and I saw the same girl with some stupid quote or something, I would be over it too.”
Jenna Ortega’s Controversial Wednesday Comments Explained
What She Said About The Wednesday Season 1 Scripts
While appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast last year, Ortega claimed that she became “almost unprofessional” during the making of season 1 as she fought to change certain lines for Wednesday that she felt were out of character. She took issue, for example, with Wednesday season 1’s love triangle storyline and smaller things like the character’s reaction to trying on a certain dress for the first time. Ortega explained at the time that she felt “very protective” of the character, which is why she would often change what was in the script.
The Wednesday star’s comments didn’t go over well with many members of the creative community. The issue was exacerbated due to the WGA strike last year that began in May and concluded in September, with Hollywood screenwriters fighting for fair compensation and more comprehensive protection against AI, among other issues. Some writers, including some who worked on shows like The Bear, BoJack Horseman, and Daredevil, mocked Ortega, and called for her to appear on the WGA picket lines due to her contributions to the Wednesday scripts.
The second season of a series is more important than the first, and Wednesday season 2 must overcome a lot to prove its success wasn’t just a fluke.
The controversy has since settled, however, and it’s clear that Ortega took things in stride. Picking up after the Wednesday season 1 ending, season 2 is already set to feature some changes with Ortega on board as a producer, including a gentle lean into more horror territory and away from teen romance. It remains to be seen how Wednesday will continue to evolve with Ortega now serving as a producer, but she evidently will have more of a say now than during season 1.
