HOW WEDNESDAY FAME CHANGED JENNA ORTEGA'S LIFE

Wednesday always felt like a bit of a slam-dunk. The combination of The Addams Family and executive producer Tim Burton — who also directed half of the first season — was a match made in macabre heaven. But there was another stroke of genius at play in the casting of Jenna Ortega in the title role.

Ortega was a star very much on the up when she was scooped up by Netflix to play goth icon Wednesday Addams. The release of Wednesday in November 2022 capped off her breakout year, in which she also established herself as a big screen scream queen with memorable performances in the Scream reboot and Ti West's slasher movie X.

But it was Wednesday that really cemented her as a newly minted member of the Hollywood A-list. It changed her life both on and off screen, just as it did for many of the other young cast members who populated the show's weird world. With Wednesday season 2 just around the corner, things are only about to get weirder for those stars.

What has Jenna Ortega said about Wednesday fame?

Ortega has admitted that the uptick in fame she experiences as a result of Wednesday was significant and had a major impact on her. When asked by the BBC if she was ready for that fame, she said: "No, I wasn't. I wouldn't want to know someone who is. I don't think that should ever be like a normal sort of [experience]."

The 22-year-old star added: "I'm still very appreciative and grateful. We didn't know that anyone was going to watch the show. You do these things and you don't know what's to come, so it was very overwhelming."

Read more: Jenna Ortega says coping with fame requires an adjustment (BANG Showbiz, 1 min read)

Ortega has spoken in the past about befriending other former child stars — including her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice colleague Winona Ryder — in order to get insight from them about how to cope with the major life changes triggered by fame. When your life is altered forever, it's no surprise that you cling to others who can relate to such a bizarre experience.

Glitzy red carpets

Jenna Ortega probably hadn't walked too many red carpets before Wednesday came around. Certainly, there hadn't been many premieres at which she was the centre of attention. That has all changed now. When the Wednesday season 2 cast took to the red carpet for this week's premiere, all eyes were on Ortega and her new bleached eyebrows — as well as a dress styled to resemble a snake shedding its skin.

Read more: Netflix infuriates Wednesday fans with season two release as they say 'I hate this' (BirminghamLive, 1 min read)

As a result of leading a show as big as Wednesday, Ortega will always be at the centre of things on any red carpet she walks from now on. Adjusting to all of those cameras and that intense atmosphere cannot be at all easy.

Fan interactions in public

For Ortega, public interactions with Wednesday fans can often be a source of anxiety. "Somebody shouting your name in public is insane," she said in an interview to mark season two. Ortega revealed that she is still able to go outside without being seen if she wants to, but added that some interactions — especially with adult men — can be unpleasant.

"Sometimes I feel uncomfortable when it's grown men approaching me," she said. "Like, you don't stop for somebody because you're going to be late for something and they're calling you a **** w**** in front of your mother. It's horrific."

Read more: Jenna Ortega reveals 'scary' fan interaction after Wednesday hit Netflix (BANG Showbiz, 2 min read)

Ortega explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the show had "a much wider audience than I anticipated" and that this has caused some strange interactions. She said: "I got off [a flight] yesterday, and at the end, the flight attendant took her hair down out of the bun and it was in two braids and she took her bangs down and she said: 'You made me do this'.”

What have other Wednesday actors said about fame?

Emma Myers, who also had her breakout role in Wednesday as the character's roommate Enid, experienced an enormous shift when the show became a hit. "It was such a big overnight change that I didn’t even want to think about it," she told NME. "I avoided Instagram – I felt sick every time I posted something because of how fast people reacted to it."

But it hasn't been all negative for Myers, who noted that "suddenly you’re getting Instagram notifications from people you had posters of". For her, interacting with members of K-Pop band SEVENTEEN was a pinch-me moment. Myers has since gone on to star in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and A Minecraft Movie.

Wednesday season 2 debuts four episodes on 6 August and four more episodes on 3 September.

This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/wednesday-season-2-fame-jenna-ortega-netflix-110029151.html

2025-07-31T11:17:39Z