Jenna Ortega will play Wednesday Addams in a new take on The Addams Family by Tim Burton and she’s opened up on how exciting it is to play the role.
Jenna Ortega/Instagram
Tim Burton is rebooting The Addams Family with the new series Wednesday on Netflix, bringing us a new take on Wednesday Addams with the character now an older teenager going away to college. Jenna Ortega (Scream, The Fallout) will lead the series as a teenage Wednesday, and speaking about the role with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress opened up on playing such an iconic character along with working with a big name like Burton.
“It’s been quite an insane experience. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to work with an iconic director who just so happens to be one of the sweetest directors I’ve worked with, and also the most detail-oriented. To step into the shoes of somebody who’s a bit more eccentric and frightening has been really exciting for me, and definitely a challenge — especially with such a beloved character, I really want to take care of her and do her justice.”
Typically, Wednesday Addams is portrayed as a young girl, so this means we’ll be seeing a different take on the character in Wednesday. Ortega admits that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with playing an older depiction of Wednesday as some of the things that might work with a child Wednesday may not work as well with the character a bit older. It’s all a matter of striking the right balance, and for her part, Ortega has “never felt so much pressure” with any other acting job she’s ever had.
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“The thing is, there are several different paths that anyone could have taken for this character. We’ve never seen Wednesday Addams as a teenage girl, so some of her harsh mannerisms may come off as hilarious when she’s younger, but as you get older, how much of that can you get away with? Or how do you keep that at the forefront of her personality without people growing to dislike her or find her annoying? So just trying to balance that … I’ve never felt so much pressure on a job, and I’m trying to keep my cool.”
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Jenna Ortega Says Fans Will Be Surprised With Her Wednesday Addams
Paramount
Ortega also spoke about how this role has required more of a transformation than any of the other characters he has played. It has not only required a certain change in her appearance, but playing Wednesday also comes with nailing certain mannerisms and expressions that are befitting of the role. The good news is that Ortega feels the audience will be just as pleasantly surprised with her performance as much as it’s surprised herself.
“I think it’s probably the most physical transformation I’ve ever done; I cut my hair, and it’s black, and mannerism-wise, speaking cadence-wise, expression-wise, I’m trying to pull from a different toolbox this time around. I think it’s a surprise to the audience, but myself as well.”
Wednesday doesn’t have a release date at this time but the series is expected to arrive on Netflix sometime later this year. Until then, you can check out Jenna Ortega on the big screen by watching her evade Ghostface in the new Scream, now playing in theaters.
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Jeremy Dick
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