‘She doesn’t know any better’: Daredevil screenwriter calls Wednesday star Jenna Ortega ‘toxic’ to bullying series writers

One of the better shows produced by Netflix in recent memory was Tim Burton’s Wednesday. Starring Jenna Ortega, the show was not only critically acclaimed and commercially successful, but also reintroduced bug juice director to his universally recognized post as goth royalty. Aside from confirming what the world already knows about Burton, there’s been a spectacular new find in the horror and macabre genre – a person who doesn’t shy away from admitting on TV that he may be just as psychopathic as the character, she represents screen.

Jenna Ortega was perfect as pale-faced, black-eyed, black-haired Wednesday. And although the actress stunned her audience with the role she impersonated, she herself was not entirely satisfied with parts of many aspects portrayed on screen.

Also Read: ‘It’s Not My Proudest Moment Inside’: $3M Rich Jenna Ortega Isn’t Thinking About It Wednesday Her greatest work despite the Netflix series helping her accumulate wealth at just 20 years old

Jenna Ortega guts Wednesday writers on the air

It’s not every day that an actress as young and aspiring as Jenna Ortega comes forward to step down from a certain role or conduct a dialogue in a certain way. But Ortega did, and she admitted how far she went to secure her goth queen alter ego and modernized persona.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to gas on a set like I did on Wednesday because it’s so easy to fall into that category, especially on this type of show. all that [Wednesday Addams] tut, everything I had to play didn’t make any sense to her character at all. Being in a love triangle made no sense. There was a line about this dress she has to wear to a prom and she was like, ‘Oh my god, I love it. Ugh, I can’t believe I said that. I literally hate myself.” And I had to say, ‘No, there’s no way.’

There were times on this set where I even got almost unprofessional in some ways just as I was starting to switch lines. The script supervisor thought I was going to do something and then I would have to sit down with the writers and they would say, ‘Wait, what happened to the scene?’ And I would have to go through with that [the scene] and explain why I couldn’t do certain things.”

Also Read: Jenna Ortega Calls for More Horror, Less Love Triangle Romance Drama in Wednesday season 2

It may not be difficult or important to want to maintain the authenticity of one’s character, but it’s a necessity in these times when so many writers and showrunners want to put their own signature on a project. Shows modeled after established artwork, literature or games are particularly at risk here, and one misstep could derail a project horribly (ref: The witcher vs. The last of us).

Steven DeKnight blasts Jenna Ortega for speaking up

Steven DeKnight, author of great series and movies like Pacific Rim: Uprising, Spartacusand Netflix daredevilShe recently tweeted against Jenna Ortega’s comments against the show’s writers.

“She’s young, so maybe she doesn’t know any better (but she should). She should also ask herself how she would feel if the showrunners did an interview and talked about how difficult she is and refusing to perform the material. That kind of statement is more than valid and toxic. I love their work but life is too short to deal with people like that in the industry.”

Also read: ‘Definitely want to focus more on family’: Wednesday Showrunner’s Hint Season 2, Want the Spotlight on the Addams Family

Ortega recently made headlines after it was announced that she will serve as executive producer for the upcoming second season of the series, and fans have applauded her decision to establish an on-screen authority over her character. Her earlier tirade and espousal of Wednesday’s core ideology convinced many in the fandom of her devotion to creation, born out of the imagination of Charles Addams. Keeping the literary antihero’s best interests in mind seems to be Ortega’s top priority, and as such, fans can’t complain as far as the show’s creative output goes.

Wednesday is available to stream on Netflix.

Source: Twitter | Steven DeKnight