Jenna Ortega Teases a “Confrontational” Addams Family Dynamic in Wednesday Season 3
Jenna Ortega never really anticipated just how huge Wednesday would be. Celebrated for the likes of Scream and Beetlejuice, she’s become a household name because of Tim Burton’s Netflix hit. The streaming giant has sped up production, meaning Season 3 is expected to release next year; Game of Thrones icon Lena Headey has officially joined the cast, alongside Andrew McCarthy. and James Lance. This season, we can expect to head to some whole new locations; Wednesday is heading to Paris, likely as she investigates the latest family mystery.
Esquire has published a new interview with Ortega, apparently conducted while she was shooting in Paris back in June. Ortega was clearly in a reflective mood, discussing her career in depth while ultimately spinning back to Wednesday Season 3. “This season, especially because the kids are seniors in high school now, we’re dealing with more confrontational feelings regarding family and what it means to be an adult and what you see for your life,” she said. “It’s not really until you get to the precipice of adulthood that you start to realize, Oh, God, well, maybe I’ve got to have a plan.”
Wednesday is Larger than Life… But So Much More
This is the brilliance of Wednesday; the character is so much larger than life, while also expressing things we’re all so familiar with. Every teenager has to deal with conflict with their family, as they seek to define themselves as an individual. Ortega herself admits she still empathizes with Wednesday’s struggle to have an actual plan for her life, a sense of direction; she clearly believes there’s something innately human about it. And yet, despite that, Wednesday Addams remains so unique. “Wednesday is very aware of who she is, the world that she lives in, and what she wants out of it,” Ortega notes. “Anytime anyone is just undeniably themselves, it’s quite magnetic.”
Surprisingly, Ortega believes Wednesday is less a reflection of herself than of Tim Burton. “I got a better understanding of Tim and who he was and what he found funny and charming and interesting through the character,” she added. “The more I learned about him, the more I realized what Wednesday represented. Or what she could be.” The key difference lies in the fact Burton a little more shy, a little less blunt, than Wednesday. Still, given Wednesday perfectly represents the iconic Burton aesthetic, the two are undeniably close connected. It’s remarkable to see Ortega bringing such a character to life, and testament to her skill.
That said, Ortega does believe she meshes well with Wednesday. “But while I’m in production, going over scripts over and over again, and I’m there all day, every day, and in every scene… yeah, there’s times where I think like her. Maybe she peeks out a bit more, here and there.” She is, however, quite looking forward to trying some very different characters. Ortega is due to appear in Klara and the Sun, which releases on October 23; “It was very exciting for me to play this naive, hopeful, optimistic character who’s very different than the characters that I’ve been playing recently,” she said, in an obvious contrast.
Beyond that, Ortega is working with J.J. Abrams on a mysterious project called The Great Beyond. Best known for creating Star Trek‘s Kelvin timeline and helming two of the Star Wars sequel movies, Abrams is trying his hand at creating his own big-screen franchise. The Great Beyond isn’t due out until 2027, which means Ortega is keeping very quiet about her role. “The character that I play is a lost young person in a new city. [She has] a confusing history and finds a friend in Glen Powell’s character… and that’s pretty much all I could say!” It’s quite clear Ortega wants to remind audiences there is much more to her than Wednesday Addams.
All this means the next few months should be particularly exciting for fans of Ortega. Klara and the Sun sounds like a welcome breath of fresh air for the actress, which should help her stop getting typecast given the success of Wednesday. After that, 2027 will see both The Great Beyond and Wednesday Season 3, both sure to be hits. Ortega loves that her characters resonate so much, describing Wednesday herself as someone who feels a “brutal inner turmoil of angst and upset and confusion at the world.” As Esquire ask, who can’t relate to that?
