WEDNESDAY Star Jenna Ortega Says the Multiple Directors Who Worked on the Series Made Her Portrayal Confusing and Difficult
Jenna Ortega is the star of the Addams Family spinoff series Wednesday that is headed our way next month from the visionary director Tim Burton. Fans see the obvious connection from Burton, who has made The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and so many more dark and delightful projects to the macabre storyline we will see in the show. It’s an obvious match, but it turns out that Burton wasn’t the only director on the series, and that served as a bit of a detriment to the star of the series.
In a recent interview with former Wednesday actor Christina Ricci, during a discussion for Interview Magazine, Ortega explained:
“I’m so glad you mentioned the multiple directors thing because Tim didn’t shoot all of the episodes. We were going from Tim to another director, back to Tim, to another director. I felt like everybody wanted different things from her. I remember Tim did not want me to have any expression or emotion at all. He wanted a flat surface, which I understand. It’s funny and great except when you’re trying to move a plot along, and ‘Wednesday’ is in every scene.”
“There were a lot of battles like that because I felt like people didn’t always trust me when I was creating my path in terms of, ‘Okay, this is her arc. This is where she gets emotional.’ And then also, we jump into the first episode and so much is happening. You have to introduce the whole story. Meanwhile, I’m still finding my footing, and then it’s the cello lessons and the archery lessons and this and that.”
When Ricci noted that such an experience can be “overwhelming,” Ortega revealed that making the show early on was “stressful and confusion.” As soon as she arrived to the Romania set she began training and “we didn’t really have time for rehearsal.”
“There have never been so many cooks in the kitchen. I was completely lost and confused. Typically I have no problem using my voice, but when you’re in it—I just remember feeling defeated after the first month. So I think something really wonderful that has come out of the show is that I can use my voice in a much stronger way than I ever have. I’ve been so much better about being honest about my opinions and thoughts, which I’m really grateful for.”
At least she was able to have this experience where she was able to find her voice. Plus I’m sure that while several directors were part of the journey, Burton had a lot of influence on the final project. So I’m sure it will turn out to be a great series. Netflix is debuting all eight episodes of Wednesday on November 23rd. Are you looking forward to watching?
via: Variety