Jenna Ortega Details How ‘Wednesday’ Script Made Her “Almost Unprofessional”
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Jenna Ortega, known for her roles in Netflix’s You and Jane the Virgin, has become a household name for her latest role as Wednesday Addams in the popular series Wednesday. However, the actress has revealed in a recent interview with the Armchair Expert podcast that she had to take an unusual step on set to ensure the show’s success.
Jenna Ortega Changed The Scripts on Wednesday Without Telling The Writers
Ortega was determined to make Wednesday more three-dimensional than how the character was portrayed on the page. She wanted to create a character with growth and emotions rather than one who was constantly monotonous, morbid, and droll.
According to Ortega, many of the original Wednesday scripts made no sense to her from a character perspective. When she first signed onto the show, she didn’t have all the scripts and assumed that it was going to be a darker show. Later, she realized that the series targeted a younger audience, and she was unaware of the tone and score.
As a result, she went ahead and changed the dialogue without consulting the film’s writers because everything did not make sense to her. Ortega explained that she became protective of the character and believed that a story with no emotional arc is boring, and nobody likes a character without growth.
“There were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines,” Ortega said. “The script supervisor thought I was going with something and then I had to sit down with the writers, and they’d be like, ‘Wait, what happened to the scene?’ And I’d have to go and explain why I couldn’t do certain things.”
Tim Burton Originally Didn’t Want Her to Show Any Emotions While Filming
Last year, Ortega opened up about the battles she fought on the Wednesday set, saying that director Tim Burton did not want her to have any expression or emotion when she was playing Wednesday. He wanted a flat surface, which Ortega understood, but it made it difficult to move the plot along.
Ortega fought to create an emotional arc for her character, and although it was challenging, she ultimately succeeded in improving the character development. The changes Ortega made to the script clearly worked in her favor, as Wednesday has received great reviews and ranks as Netflix’s second most-watched English-language series, behind only Stranger Things season four.
The show has been renewed for a second season, and Ortega’s portrayal of Wednesday has received critical acclaim. In conclusion, Ortega’s willingness to take charge and improve her character’s development has resulted in a successful series that audiences have come to love.
