ThoughWednesdayturned out to be a success for Netflix, the production of the Addams Family adaptation wasn’t easy. During an appearance at a Q&A, series star Jenna Ortega revealed that she broke down due to the stresses of filming.
Wednesdaybroke several viewership records at Netflix. Impressively, the show managed to surpass evenNetflix’s premier series,Stranger Things, which has served as the benchmark against which other series are measured for some time. The series is a new take on the Addams Family in which Ortega’s Wednesday is an older teen rather than a younger child as she is usually depicted, and she struggles with finding her place of belonging.
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Varietyreported on the Netflix-hosted Q&A in which Ortega revealed her struggles. During the eight-monthWednesdayshoot in Romania, Ortega said she frequently worked six days a week for twelve or fourteen hours. “It was show up to set two hours early, do that 12-14 hour day, then go home and then get on a Zoom and have whatever lesson that I had," Ortega said. “Or show up to my apartment, my cello teacher was already waiting for me. It was just constantly going, and if you could on a weekend, if we weren’t shooting the sixth day that week, it was ‘All right, well then, we’ll get your lessons in on that day.’”
Ortega’s performance as Wednesdayturned out to be one of the best in the show, but Ortega recalled that one sequence was truly difficult to shoot: the “Paint It Black” sequence in which Wednesday plays the Rolling Stones song on her cello. Unfortunately, the piece was designed to be played by two cello players, a feat which proved hard to master. “I did not get any sleep,” Ortega revealed. “I pulled my hair out. There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying.”
This isn’t the only difficulty Ortega experienced on set. Ortega had previously revealed that, duringher iconicWednesdaydance scene, she was awaiting COVID results, which later came back positive. That revelation was criticized by many who felt that the production was irresponsible for forcing Ortega to work when she had suspected she had contracted the disease. It looks like Ortega is happy with how the show turned out, but it is a shame to hear that she faced such difficulties while filming.
Ortega will hopefully not have to face as many hardships during thefilming ofWednesdayseason 2, which was announced in January 2023. Ortega did address season 2 in the Q&A, stating that she’s excited to get back to work. Interestingly, she said that she hopes Wednesday does not have to face a love triangle next season, an element of the show that was heavily criticized in season 1. Even Ortega acknowledged the whole thing “was a weird thing to justify,” before saying that next season should “just focus on her and her experiences.”
Wednesdayseason 1 is available on Netflix.
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