Jenna Ortega Responds To That Wednesday Writers Controversy

Wednesday Addams may not have regrets — but Jenna Ortega does have one. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, published on July 23, the actor responded to that Wednesday controversy about her changing lines on the Netflix series.

In March 2023, Ortega told Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast that she felt “unprofessional” at times on the Wednesday set, as she would make script changes and remove storylines that she felt didn’t work for her character.

"I don't think I've ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on Wednesday,” she said. "Everything that [Wednesday] does, everything that I had to play, does not make sense for her character at all. Her being in a love triangle made no sense... There was times on that set I almost became unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines.”

How Does Jenna Feel Now?

Reflecting on the incident two years later, Ortega told THR she “felt terrible” about her remarks and how the writers may have felt disrespected. “In no way did I mean to come across that way,” she said. “I spend a lot of time in my head and I have all these different trains of thought, and all I needed to say was, ‘I improvise.’ Also, nobody, before, ever cared what I said. It was a good lesson.”

Series creator Tim Burton also came to her defense, citing it as an example of why he doesn’t do many interviews. “In this new media world, people will find one thing you say and that’s it,” he said. “I just felt bad for her because I know her, and I know the media, and I know what happened.”

Ortega agreed that the media have been particularly harsh on her. “The amount of times I have seen headlines with quotes that I’ve never actually said is bizarre,” she said. But she still regrets what she said about the Wednesday writers. “I pride myself on my professionalism, so that was a weak moment for me,” she added.

That said, Ortega’s outspokenness both on and off set did spark change, leading her to become a producer with more creative input on Season 2. Burton even slyly referenced the controversy on a Season 2 episode, where Wednesday receives a letter from her editor stating that she’s difficult to work with and won’t take notes.

“I don’t know how meta it was for me,” Ortega said. “But I do think the great thing about the Wednesday character is she’s constantly making societal remarks and just kind of degrading the public. So I think that that was a funny bit to touch upon and acknowledge it.”