Jenna Ortega initially rejected the offer of playing Wednesday Addams
Actor received critical praise and adulation from fans for her starring role in the hit Netflix series
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jenna Ortega has revealed that she initially rejected the offer of playing Wednesday Addams.
The 20-year-old actor stars in the hit show Wednesday, which has become one of Netflix’s most popular shows.
It ranks behind Stranger Things 4 as the streaming giant’s most-watched English-language series of all time.
Despite this, Ortega has revealed that she actually turned down multiple offers to star in her breakthrough role.
“I got the email, passed on it,” she told The Times, . “I had done so much TV in my life. All I’ve ever wanted to do is film…You have to prove yourself. It’s only in the last three or four years that I’ve been able to start going up for film.
“I was scared that by signing on to another television show it could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about.”
Ortega said the “only reason I went back is because director Tim [Burton] is such a legend, and we just happened to get along very well.
“But even then I said, ‘Ah, no – I think I’m OK,’ a couple [more] times.”
Ortega also admitted she didn’t expect Wednesday to be as much of a hit as it was.
“I thought it wasn’t going to be watched,” she said. “That it will be a nice little gem that someone finds, but [most people don’t].”
Earlier this month, Ortega said that she had to put her “foot down” after reading Wednesday’s script.
“When I read the entire series, I realised, ‘Oh, this is for younger audiences,’” Ortega told Dax Shepard on an episode of his Armchair Expert podcast.
“When I first signed onto the show, I didn’t have all the scripts. I thought it was going to be a lot darker. It wasn’t… I didn’t know what the tone was, or what the score would sound like.
“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,” she added.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments