Jenna Ortega (Cry VI) sat down with Dax Shepherd for an episode of his podcast Expert Armchairand revealed more than a few disappointing memories of working on The series produced by Netflix’s Tim Burton Wednesday. Ortega said she changed lines frequently, refused to act according to the script, and admitted that she “became unprofessional” because she thought the material she was given was woefully poor.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to set foot on set the way I had to. Wednesday“, said the actor. “I became very, very protective of (Wednesday the character), but you can’t lead a story and not have any emotional arc because then it’s boring and nobody likes you. Ortega didn’t have high hopes for the show’s reception and says contemporary viewers are “easy to please” due to the amount of content shipped out so quickly. (If there was ever an interview with an actor who has completely validated one of the io9 reviewit’s this one.)
As it turns out, Wednesday was a big Netflix hit, and he is credited with significantly raising Ortega’s profile. Even so, the actress doesn’t have much positive to say about her experience on set. “I can’t look at my work, but I can go home after filming and say, ‘The scene we shot today made me feel good.’ On Wednesdaythere wasn’t a scene on that show where I came home and was like, ‘OK, you should be fine.’ made him “crying hysterically,” according to Variety. (As has been widely reported, she performed the show’s viral dance number when she was unknowingly sick with covid.)
Ortega took umbrage with the writing above all else. She said on the podcast, “everything she did, everything I had to play, made no sense for her character.” Regarding Wednesday’s sarcastic sense of humor, Ortega said, “When you’re little and you say morbid and offensive things, it’s funny and endearing and, ‘Aww, you don’t know any better. ‘ But then you become a teenager, it’s, ‘Now you’re mean and you know it.’ There are fewer excuses.
Wednesday has been renewed for a season two, with Jenna Ortega on board as producer as well as the lead.
G/O Media may receive a commission
Want more io9 news? Find out when to wait for the last wonder, star warsAnd star trek versions, what’s next for the DC Universe in Film and TVand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.