Jenna Ortega explains why she almost passed on her Wednesday role. Wednesday has been a major launching point for Ortega’s career, as she went from a rising actor to a household name and viral sensation in a short span of time. On top of her buzzy roles on the Netflix series and in the new theatrical release Scream VI, Ortega made her Saturday Night Live hosting debut this past weekend.
In a recent interview, Ortega details her near-pass on the Wednesday role (per Deadline, via The Sunday Times). Ortega reveals she initially wasn’t interested in the part due to her growing film career. Check out the full quote from Ortega below:
“No, I didn’t. I got the email, passed on it. I had done so much TV in my life, all I’ve ever wanted to do is film. I was scared that by signing on to another television show it could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about.”
Why Ortega Made The Right Choice With Wednesday
Before Wednesday, Ortega was indeed primarily a TV actor. After receiving several one-off roles as a child actor, Ortega entered her teen years by starring in the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle. She also played Young Jane in 30 episodes of the CW series Jane the Virgin, before breaking out into drama and horror films with The Fallout, X, and the 2022 reboot of Scream.
According to Ortega, the allure of visionary director Tim Burton is what ultimately drew her to accept the Wednesday role. Ortega should be glad that she did, as Wednesday became one of Netflix’s most successful shows of all time and cemented her as a powerhouse emerging talent. Ortega’s performance as Wednesday Addams is spot-on and has earned a great deal of acclaim, balancing a horror-esque darkness with a subtly brilliant dry wit.
Besides the Wednesday season 1 attention, Ortega is seeing copious success following its release. Recently, she reprised her role as Tara Carpenter in Scream VI. She is also in talks to work with Burton again on Beetlejuice 2, which is currently in pre-production. With these roles, it looks like Ortega will still get her wish to be a film actor while also keeping her television fame as she gears up for Wednesday season 2.
Deadline (via The Sunday Times)
