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When it comes to Netflix’s mega-hit Wednesday, the initial things that come to notice are gothic imagery, dark humor, and Jenna Ortega's signature deadpan look.
But behind closed doors, Jenna admitted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in August 2024 that she was truly "a little terrified" while preparing to shoot season 2. She said,
"Yeah, I was a little terrified, just because it had been years since Wednesday, since we shot the first one. We did that, like, two or three years ago in Romania. So I didn't really know how I... I just was, I think, overthinking it."
She added,
"But as soon as you put on costumes by Colleen Atwood, you get your hair and makeup done, and then you take all the expression out of your face, it's like, oh, okay, kind of."
While Wednesday gained her critical acclaim and millions of fans, coming back to Nevermore Academy was not as simple a process as one might think. Ortega spoke honestly about the pressure of having to deliver another iconic season, particularly understanding how much the fan community had invested.
Here's the interview for your reference:
The expectations from Wednesday Season 2
Season 1's overnight record-breaking popularity was no coincidence. With its offbeat supernatural storyline, Tim Burton's helm, and Ortega's tour-de-force acting, the show trended and then went viral. Pressure to do it all again, therefore, became a heavy weight on the cast, especially its star. Ortega acknowledged that returning to play Wednesday Addams for the second time was intimidating.
The viewers will remember how stoic, emotionless, and shut-down the character is. But Ortega, in contrast to her on-screen doppelganger, wasn't holding back her real feelings while prepping for season 2.
In The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she also explained,
"And then I met with Tim a couple days before Wednesday came out and we talked about the potential of season two and what we wanted to do. So he told me to write down some ideas for the second season of the show. So I said, okay, I got you. I was feverishly scribbling in my journal for a week. "
She continued,
"Then I went and I met him again and then when I went to open up my journal and present these ideas, he just placed the script of Beetlejuice in my journal. And he didn't tell anyone."
Why Wednesday was a risky bet for Jenna Ortega
For any actor, it's tough enough to bring to life an iconic character once. To repeat it, when the entire globe is observing, it is another game altogether. According to News 18, Jenna said,
"Your eye does start twitching. There were a couple of setups in season one that looked like I was crying because I was trying to keep my eyes open"
When it came to her character, Ortega preferred to dig deeper, understand Wednesday closely, and introduce more reality into the second season. All that requires not just performance, but vision, and visions tend to be accompanied by self-doubt. Pressure wasn't just increased due to Netflix numbers; it was increased due to Ortega's performance expectations. According to People Magazine, she said,
"To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person. After the pressure, the attention — as somebody who’s quite introverted, that was so intense and so scary."
Jenna Ortega's tightening hold on Wednesday
Few were surprised when Jenna Ortega did more than merely act in Season 2. She's writing the script, too, and charting the character's course with it. That's not the norm for teen-show actors, but that added weight to Ortega's work. And although it granted her agency over Wednesday's storytelling in unexpected ways, it also fueled pre-shooting tension.
How Ortega's acting brings depth to Wednesday's success
The show's viral success wasn't solely due to gothic iconography or witty one-liners. Much of Wednesday's success was due to Ortega's meticulously prepared performances. Even the dance number that got memed, for instance, was rehearsed by Ortega. Her perfectionism is now the show's calling card. And now that season 2 is around the corner, the same attention is similarly being devoted to every episode, albeit with greater stakes and nervousness.
Rather than posturing to be sure, Ortega confessed to being on edge and not knowing, something that fans did not anticipate from Wednesday's face. Maybe that sincerity only brings on even more anticipation for the upcoming season. It speaks to the fact that under the character's chilly, calculated exterior lies an actress who is really committed to the right thing.
The future of Wednesday and Ortega's further development
As fans patiently await Wednesday's return, Jenna Ortega's comments regarding her mindset before season 2 filming provide a new spin on what transpires. Saying she was "a little terrified" is not a red flag; it's a testament to success. It's an acknowledgment that excellence comes with a measure of fear, particularly when fan pressure is frenzied and victory already in the rearview mirror.
Ortega's heightened creative input to season 2 is also proof that things are just going to keep developing. The show, as much as it finds roots in teen mystery and black comedy, is growing up right alongside its lead. And if anything, her apprehension entering the new season is only evidence that she's not taking anything for granted.
The pressure would possibly be that intense, but Ortega seems more than equipped to channel it into performance and storytelling that would be appreciated by viewers.
Jenna Ortega's confession to tackle season 2 proves the magnitude of concern and delicacy involved in leading the popular Netflix series into production. From having to manage enormous fan expectations to gaining more behind-the-scenes authority, Ortega's journey living through Wednesday has been no walk in the park.
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The actress's openness doesn't take away from the character's heritage; the real one makes it stronger, providing fans with greater access to the individual beneath the legendary black braids.
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