Jenna Ortega Gains Producer Credit, Teases Upcoming 'Wednesday' Season 2
Jenna Ortega is opening up about season two of Wednesday in a couple of new interviews!
The 20-year-old actress will not only be returning as the titular character in the next season of the Netflix hit, but she will also be signing on as a producer, a bump up from season one.
This news comes after it was revealed that Jenna would change up lines during filming on the first season because she didn’t agree that her character would say something.
Find out what she teased for season two inside…
“I feel really, really fortunate to be coming on as a producer this time around. I was going to piggyback off of what you [Ayo Edebiri] were saying — any of the best teams or environments that I’ve been on on set have been people who are very collaborative and wanted to hear different opinions because it’s very easy for people to get caught up in their own,” Jenna shared during a THR roundtable.
“I think a project is best when there’s as many voices and ideas thrown out as possible. And I’ve had experiences in TV where I felt my voice wasn’t heard, that I was meant to be a puppet,” she continued. “I’ve been told on sets, ‘You wouldn’t know because you’re not a writer,’ or, ‘Just shut up and do your job.’ From 12 years old, I’ve been hearing things like that. So, I went into Wednesday with hesitance. But I was fortunate to be working with someone like Tim Burton, who pulled me in his trailer one day and said that he wanted to be a soundboard for my voice. So, every day, me, him, the writers, we’d get together in the morning and go through sides.”
“I think that because I’m someone who is very opinionated or because I know what it’s like to be a people pleaser in this industry, and I know how unhappy or how frustrating it’s been in the past, when I went into Wednesday I really put my foot down and made it clear that everything that I had to say mattered and was heard,” Jenna added. “And as the show went on, we all got a better feel for one another and it’s become a really collaborative experience, and I feel really lucky to be able to be in the room early next season and be talking about scripts and giving notes.”
Signing on as a producer will give her more of an official say on the show going into the new season.
In another actor on actor interview, Jenna talked about being a producer now and teased what we can expect in season two of Wednesday, which has not yet started filming. She’s actually recently been working on the Beetlejuice sequel with Tim Burton.
“This is my first time [being a producer]. It was a natural progression. With a character like Wednesday, who is so beloved, I didn’t want to get her wrong. So I tried to have as many conversations as possible with the writers. We’d decide what works and what doesn’t,” she told Elle Fanning for Variety. “In preparation for a second season, we wanted to make sure that we could start the conversations earlier. I’m just so curious: I want to see the outfits, new characters, scripts.”
Of what she can share about season two, Jenna teased, “It’s still coming together, but we’ve decided we want to lean into the horror more. We’re ditching any romantic love interest, which is really great. We’re going to get bolder, more dark.”
Did you know that Jenna actually turned down Wednesday multiple times before finally saying yes?