Image Credit: Disney
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Jenna Ortega in Wednesday
Photo via Netflix

‘It’s never pleasant, but it just comes with the territory’: Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ writers break their silence on Jenna Ortega’s script feedback ‘missteps’

Wednesday's child is full of woe.

2022 was one of the best pop culture years in a long time. Horror fans got treated to well-crafted slashers like X, sci-fi lovers got the smart AppleTV series Severance, and everyone fell in love with Netflix‘s Wednesday. Now the writers of the Jenna Ortega series are talking about that thorny time when the star said exactly what she was thinking about the show.

Recommended Videos

In a September 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wednesday showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, who also wrote Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, shared what they really think about this awkward situation. Gough said “you have these young stars in the spotlight” and “They’re going to misstep. They’re going to say things.” He took an honest and compasisonate approach and said, “you just have to give them grace and know that it happens. It’s never pleasant, but it just comes with the territory.”

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday
Photo via Netflix

Of course, Millar and Gough were referring to when Ortega said Wednesday Adams’s love triangle “made no sense” on the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard. There are two sides to every story, and it’s easy to say that both Ortega and the Wednesday writers are right, here.

On the one hand, since when does the Goth character get all googly-eyed over not one, but two classmates? On the other hand, shouldn’t an actor respect the words on the page, and not change scripts? Sure, a TV drama isn’t exactly improv, and cast members aren’t supposed to say that their characters are doing or saying incorrect things. But then again, she can’t be the only actor who has had a problem with the journey their character was taking.

There are no hard feelings, though! Millar called Ortega “one of the hardest working, most talented young actresses” and said their work together is “joyful” and “collaborative” (what a relief). Since she’s a producer on season 2 of Wednesday, she’s got more of an official voice, which is a great thing in my Wednesday-loving opinion.

Millar and Gough also mentioned the massive amounts of attention that Ortega got because of what she said. They also brought up the point that young stars sometimes make mistakes and say the wrong thing. But I believe Ortega would have said what she said regardless of her age. As she told Vanity Fair, “women have to be princesses” and “when they’re outspoken,” the response is negative. Nothing she said or did was that terrible, was it?!

Photo via Netflix

Ortega also said in her Vanity Fair interview that she “could have used my words better” which everyone can relate to! There are times when Ortega has found exactly the right words, like when she commented on those awful AI photos of herself. So she’s like the rest of us human beings: prone to sometimes finding it hard to articulate exactly what she wants to.

As an Ortega superfan, I’m excited to watch her in Wednesday season 2, whether or not she decides to talk about what’s in the script!


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Aya Tsintziras
Aya Tsintziras
Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer at We've Got This Covered who has been writing about pop culture since 2014. She has a Masters of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and enjoys writing about TV dramas, horror movies, and celebrities. When not working, she's reading a thriller novel, catching up on The Real Housewives, and spending time with friends and family.