Jenna Ortega felt “defeated” working with multiple directors on Wednesday

Last Updated on October 24, 2022

Snap, snap. Jenna Ortega recently sat down with Christina Ricci for some Wednesday-on-Wednesday chatter to discuss the upcoming Wednesday, exploring the character and the difficulties of playing her under multiple directors.

On the topic of working with different directors on Wednesday, Jenna Ortega said, “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…There were a lot of battles like that [with other directors] 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.’”

Jenna Ortega elaborated further on the often hectic atmosphere on Wednesday. “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.” Christina Ricci concurred, citing the “disorienting” challenge of working with multiple directors while developing a singular character, an aspect of television that often gets neglected in interviews.

While Tim Burton is getting much of the spotlight (it happens; sorry, Henry Selick, we know you directed The Nightmare Before Christmas!), he only directed half of the season’s eight episodes. Other directors named include James Marshall (Smallville) and Gandja Monteiro (The Chi).

Jenna Ortega previously said that sharing the screen with Christina Ricci (who plays a teacher at Nevermore Academy) was both “terrifying” and “nerve-racking.” Which may be because she is such a fan of Christina Ricci in the ‘90s Addams Family movies. “I’ve gotten the comparison to Wednesday a lot, and to me that was the greatest honor, especially because after that I became obsessed with Wednesday, I became obsessed with you.” Yeah, you and every boy at the time. Wait until you see Black Snake Moan!

Will you be watching Wednesday when it comes to Netflix on November 23rd?