This past month, “The Addams Family” reentered the mainstream spotlight, thanks to the performance of actress Jenna Ortega in Tim Burton’s “Wednesday” show on Netflix.
The horror television series focuses on the character Wednesday Addams from “The Addams Family,” and is played by Ortega. Other starring actors include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, and Fred Armisen.
“Wednesday” follows Wednesday at her new school, Nevermore, after she is expelled from high school for throwing live piranhas into the school’s pool. Nevermore was her parents’ alma matter and is a school for outcasts like vampires, werewolves, and others. As the show goes on, Wednesday discovers that people are getting killed by a monster in woods near the school, leading to her investigating the situation throughout most of the show.
Like those who go to Nevermore, Wednesday has her own supernatural powers that she inherited from her mother. She has psychic powers, and as she is learning to control those powers, Wednesday also investigates a murder that involved her parents.
The team that created “Wednesday” purposely sought a Latina to play the role of Wednesday to align with character Gomez Addams’s heritage.
Ortega is 20 and started her acting career on the Disney Channel and in CW’s “Jane the Virgin.” She is of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, and told Deadline that being Latina has always been “lovely” for her. Ortega said she is proud of her heritage and grew up in Coachella Valley, California — an area home to many Hispanics. She told the publication Hola! that it was important to her early in her career to get parts that show Latinos in roles that stray away from stereotypes.
“I always got really excited when I got those jobs that were open ethnicity or maybe initially meant for a Caucasian actor… I do want to open the doors for as many Latin people as possible, just because we’re a beautiful community and we should be celebrated,” Ortega said to Hola!. “The Latin community only take up three percent of all representation shown across television and film media. The TV world, the film world, should reflect what the real world looks like.”
In order to play the role of Wednesday, Ortega learned to play the cello, and took fencing, archery, canoeing, German and boxing lessons to prepare for her role. Outside of those lessons, Ortega said she underwent the most physical transformation of her life. That includes cutting her hair, mannerism, the way she speaks, and even the expressions she makes.
Weeks after its release, “Wednesday” earned a billion hours’ worth of views, a milestone only “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things 4” have reached on the streaming service. The show earned two Golden Globe nominations for the Best Television Series and Best Actress for Ortega.
“Wednesday” is eight episodes long and can be streamed on Netflix. Reports also suggest that “Wednesday” will most likely return for a second season.
“The Addams Family” was released over 30 years ago, and included Christina Ricci who played the Wednesday character in the film.
