Jenna Ortega Almost Turned Down “Wednesday” Before It Became a Global Hit

Jenna Ortega may now be inseparable from the dark, deadpan world of Wednesday Addams, but stepping into the role wasn’t an easy yes for the actor.

When Wednesday debuted on Netflix in 2022, it quickly became a global hit, turning Ortega into one of the most talked-about young stars in Hollywood. The series, directed and produced by gothic cinema icon Tim Burton, reimagines the Addams Family universe as a dark teen mystery set at Nevermore Academy. Season 2 arrived in two parts in 2025, and a third season is already in development.

But behind the scenes, Ortega had real doubts about signing on.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the actor admitted she hesitated before accepting the role. “I definitely had hesitations about doing it,” she said, explaining that she’d already spent years working in teen-focused television. After growing up on shows aimed at younger audiences, she worried about being boxed into the same kind of roles again.

Ortega knows that risk well. She began acting as a child, appearing in the CBS sitcom Rob before landing a small role in Iron Man 3. She later played young Jane in Jane the Virgin and became a familiar face on Disney Channel, starring in Stuck in the Middle and voicing characters in Elena of Avalor.

That early success came with a downside. Ortega has spoken openly about what she calls the “huge stigma” of being a Disney kid, saying people often assume that’s all an actor from that background can do.

Determined to change that perception, she moved on to darker, more adult projects. In 2019, she appeared in You, followed by a run of horror films that helped reshape her image, including Scream and Scream VI.

That horror experience proved to be the perfect bridge to Wednesday Addams. Burton’s offbeat style and the show’s blend of comedy, mystery, and macabre ultimately convinced Ortega that this teen drama was unlike anything she’d done before.

The gamble paid off. “Wednesday” became a cultural phenomenon, cementing Ortega as a leading figure in a new generation of genre stars. What started as a role she wasn’t sure about has now become a defining moment in her career — one that helped her finally step out of the shadow of her past and into a world that’s proudly creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky.