Jenna Ortega’s Hesitation to Join Netflix’s Wednesday

nd a classic coming-of-age story. While she may not have bat an eyelid at the series’ monsters, murders and macabre moments, Ortega did have to think twice about signing on to a teen drama.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ortega discussed taking on the role. “I definitely had hesitations about doing it,” Ortega says, adding, “I’d already been there and done that with teen shows.” Prior to appearing on “Wednesday,” Ortega played several young characters in series aimed at teen audiences, but Burton’s uniquely quirky horror stylings offered something very different from her previous roles.

Jenna Ortega’s journey to Wednesday Addams is one of talent and transformation. Ortega began her acting career with a child role on the CBS sitcom “Rob” in 2012. From there, she had a brief appearance in Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” in 2013. Her career saw her play the young Jane on The CW’s “Jane the Virgin” and Harley Diaz on Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle.” Eventually, she left the Disney roles behind and landed a role on Netflix’s “You” in 2019. Ortega also dabbled in voice work for animated series like “Elena of Avalor” and “Big City Greens,” in addition to appearing in horror films like “Scream” (2022) and “Studio 666.”

Reflecting on her past experiences, Ortega pointed out the downside of being typecast due to her Disney Channel roles. She acknowledged the challenge of breaking out of that mold and proving herself beyond those assumptions. However, her diverse roles in horror films and darker series like “You” helped prepare her for the role of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s “Wednesday.” The show, with Tim Burton at the helm, has been a success and is currently working on Season 3.