Jenna Ortega’s recent performances in Scream and this week’s X have solidified her status as a modern-day scream queen. But soon, Ortega will put her own stamp on a familiar horror icon as the star of Netflix’s Wednesday series. The upcoming Addams Family spinoff promises to show a side of the title character that we’ve never seen before. And according to Ortega, this comes with its own set of challenges. Jenna Ortega.
Wednesday Addams has appeared in various iterations over the last 80+ years. However, the Netflix series finds Ortega playing a more grown-up version of the character as she attends a school for the supernaturally-gifted. This gave Ortega some wiggle room when crafting her take on the Addams clan’s firstborn child. But it was also important to adhere to the traditional Addams Family spirit.
“We’ve never seen her as a teenage girl,” said Ortega in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. ”You know, it’s funny and sweet and almost charming to hear this eight-year-old’s obsession with murder and blood and guts. As she gets older, that nasty attitude or [those] biting remarks, it’s almost kind of hard to not make it sound like every other teenage girl. So, it’s like, how do we establish this character and give her the same fire without letting her become something that she’s not?”
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“Also, it’s eight-hour series so, for an emotionless character, there has to be some sort of an emotional arc,” continued Ortega. “That’s been really interesting to figure out in terms of, okay, well, she’s got to be able to push the story forward in some way but how do we keep her true to her deadpan self? It’s been a bit of a challenge and I’m curious to see how it plays. I’ve never had the opportunity to play an iconic character before. I know she’s well-loved and well-respected and I just don’t want to mess her up.”
Ortega went on to discuss what it’s like to collaborate with Tim Burton, who’s also working on the series as a director and executive producer.
“That has been really incredible, just being such a fan of his work prior,” added Ortega. “But also getting to know him and realizing he’s the most detail-oriented director I’ll ever work with. He’s also one of the sweetest directors I think I’ll ever work with. I’m really blown away by how collaborative he is and how kind he is.”
Netflix still hasn’t announced a release date for Wednesday.
Are you excited to watch Jenna Ortega’s performance? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Addams Family: An Evilution
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