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'Did Not Make Sense For Her Character': Jenna Ortega Opens Up About Her Past Remarks On Wednesday's Storyline Following The Backlash
Jenna Ortega reflects on her controversial comments about changing her character’s lines on Wednesday and the backlash that followed.
Jenna Ortega discussed her controversial comments from March 2023 about changing her character’s lines on Netflix’s Wednesday. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she admitted, “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.”
On a March 2023 episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Ortega mentioned that many of the original Wednesday scripts didn’t make sense to her. She changed some dialogue without consulting the writers, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on Wednesday,”
The Scream actress added, “Everything that Wednesday does, everything I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all. Her being in a love triangle? It made no sense."
Jenna further explained at the time that there was a line about a dress for a school dance where the character expressed excitement, followed by self-loathing. She felt the dialogue was not suitable for her character, so she changed it.
At times, she altered lines without consulting the writers, confusing the script supervisor. She often had to explain to the writers why she couldn't perform certain scenes as written.
Her comments upset film and TV writers, who went on strike two months later. Many writers called Ortega “toxic” and “entitled” on social media. Some Writers Guild of America members even carried signs saying, “Without writers, Jenna Ortega will have nothing to punch up!”
Ortega, 21, told Vanity Fair that she realized that it is impossible to please everyone, which was difficult for her to understand as a natural people pleaser. She came to accept that some people simply may not like her, and that's perfectly fine. Ortega admitted she got “sick of herself last year,” saying, “My face was everywhere … so it’s like, fair enough if I were opening my phone and I saw the same girl with some stupid quote or something, I would be over it too.”
Now, Ortega is a producer on the upcoming second season of Wednesday, where she can give notes. Executive producer Tim Burton praised her, saying she’s “very direct, no-nonsense, and artistic.” He even suggested that Ortega “could direct the series if she wanted to.”
Season 2 of Wednesday is expected on Netflix in 2025.
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