Wednesday Star Jenna Ortega Walks Back Controversial Comments About Netflix Show’s Writing

Shooting the first season of Netflix’s Wednesday was a struggle for the show’s lead actress, Jenna Ortega. But the actress has recently clarified her past comments about the production. The series sees Ortega play a new version of Wednesday Addams who is shipped off to Nevermore Academy after being expelled from almost every school in the country. The show, created by Tim Burton, was a sensational hit for the streaming service, but Ortega caused controversy after its release when she publicly criticized the show’s writing staff.

Back in 2023, Jenna Ortega revealed that she felt incredibly frustrated by some of the creative decisions taken during shooting, especially regarding her character’s arc. The actress said that she would occasionally change lines without warning the writing staff, as she disagreed with their ideas. Her original comment read, “Her being in a love triangle? It made no sense. There was a line about a dress she has to wear for a school dance and she says, ‘Oh my god I love it. Ugh, I can’t believe I said that. I literally hate myself.’ I had to go, ‘No.'” She continued:

“There were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional
in a sense where I just started changing lines. 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 go do certain things.”

Over a year later, as production ramps up on the show’s second season, Ortega has clarified her previous comments. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Ortega said she regrets how she divulged her issues with the show’s planned storylines. Carefully planning her responses, the actress said:

“To be fair … I think I probably could have been … I probably could have used my words better in describing all of that. I think, oftentimes, I’m such a rambler. I think it was hard because I felt like had I represented the situation better, it probably would’ve been received better.”

Jenna Ortega Caused Controversy Twice in 2023

2023 was a massive year for Jenna Ortega. As well as being the lead on Wednesday, the actress also starred in Scream 6. However, she was also caught in the middle of a second controversy last year as the actress was rumored to be removed from the film’s sequel (unsurprisingly titled Scream 7). This came after Ortega defended her co-star Melissa Barrera, who was officially fired after publicly supporting Palestine and criticizing the Israeli government on social media.

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Barrera’s posts were deemed anti-Semitic and the actress was quickly removed from Scream 7‘s cast list. Shortly after, Ortega dropped out of the project. It has since been confirmed that Jenna Ortega’s departure from the film was down to scheduling conflicts. During the same conversation, Ortega discussed Barrera’s firing from the movie and said she wished the studio would have accepted her differing stance on the issue. Ortega said:

“The business that we work in is so touchy-feely. Everybody wants to be politically correct, but I feel like, in doing that, we lose a lot of our humanity and integrity because it lacks honesty. I wish that we had a better sense of conversation.
Imagine if everyone could say what they felt and not be judged for it and, if anything, it sparked some sort of debate, not an argument
.”