What’s next for Wednesday in season 2? Jenna Ortega has clear ideas. However, they differ from the attitude of the creative team behind the series.
Wednesday is one of the most popular new characters of series year 2022, and her actress Jenna Ortega is probably the goth queen’s biggest fan. She collaborated on the now famous Wednesday dance, learned archery, German and fencing for the character.
But what’s next for Wednesday on Netflix? Jenna Ortega proved multiple times that she puts a lot of thought into the direction of the Addams daughter. In what is sure to be Season 2, she wants to stop a trend that began in Season 1 that she doesn’t like.
For Jenna Ortega, Wednesday is not a typical heroine, but the creators see it differently
In an interview Jenna Ortega has spoken about how she envisions Wednesday developing. Not for the first time, she quietly criticised writers who have a different take on the character than she does.
“I kind of want her to be grittier. I want her to get down to business and not play it safe. Because there’s a lot of scripted lines [in the first season] where she’s trying to save the school and all that kind of stuff […]”
This sounds a bit like Harry Potter. In fact, Wednesday changes from about the 4th episode of the first season. She becomes noticeably more open, warmer and, well: more boring. Ortega herself noticed this, as she noted in another interview. According to her, director Tim Burton wanted a tough and emotionless Wednesday. The other directors preferred a more open version. Jenna Ortega prefers the Tim Burton version.
“I think I want her to continue to follow an anti-heroine path and less of a typical heroine. ”
“I think I want her to keep following an anti-heroine path and less of a typical heroine.
Enid and Wednesday
Showrunners Miles Millar and Alfred Gough will further open Wednesday up to those social concepts she so loathes in Season 2. Something like friendship. And that is right and will especially please Enid (Emma Myers). But it is also a fine line.
Wednesday lives from the fact that she is different from characters from Narnia and Harry Potter. It is precisely with her gruff, non-conformist nature that many fans can identify. Only a Wednesday who would like to throw up during a beautiful sunrise is a real Wednesday. The series must retain this unique selling point.
Of course, the main character of a series must not stand still. Wednesday has to learn, has to push boundaries and be challenged. And if that means she becomes a little friendlier, that’s okay. As long as she keeps her pouty core and just doesn’t turn into a well-behaved Harry Potter character.
That is the team’s difficult task in season 2. The fact that Jenna Ortega has recognised and openly addresses this challenge shows once again what a stroke of luck she is for the series.
