Why Jenna Ortega Was Hesitant To Join Netflix's Wednesday

Creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, not to mention all together ooky, there's any number of reasons why somebody might be wary of getting involved with "The Addams Family." For most actors, though, becoming a part of such a well-known and beloved franchise would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Jenna Ortega's turn in the title role of Netflix's Addams Family spin-off "Wednesday" is a career-defining moment. However, the actor had doubts about joining the project.

The first season of "Wednesday" landed on Netflix in 2022, while Season 2 arrived in two parts in 2025. The series follows Ortega's 16-year-old Wednesday Addams as she is sent to Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts and monsters. The series, which boasts gothic cinema legend Tim Burton as a director and producer, combines creepy comedy, murder mystery, and 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 got her start in acting as a child. Her first role was on an episode of the CBS sitcom "Rob" in 2012, and the following year, she had a brief, non-speaking part in Marvel's "Iron Man 3." Soon, she went on to play the young Jane on The CW's "Jane the Virgin" before eventually landing a string of Disney Channel series. She played Harley Diaz, the lead role in "Stuck in the Middle" before taking on a voice role in the animated "Elena of Avalor," appearing on "Bizaardvark," and more voice work on "Big City Greens."

In her New York Times interview, Ortega references "the huge stigma that comes with being a Disney kid." Following her various Disney Channel roles, she found that people "automatically make the assumption that it's all you can do, or all you were meant for."

Eventually, Ortega left the Disney roles behind and appeared in the second season of Netflix's "You" in 2019. Later, she would get some early preparation for entering Wednesday's mysterious and spooky world, when she took on parts in several horror movies, including "Scream" (2022), "Studio 666," "Scream VI," and "American Carnage." That horror experience served Ortega well when she was cast as Wednesday Addams in Burton's fresh take on the iconic horror comedy franchise. "Wednesday" is a hit, and Season 3 is currently in the works.