It's Hard to Believe, But Jenna Ortega Almost Turned Down Wednesday Role

And yet based on recent comments from the actress herself, she was very much hesitant about playing the role when she was first approached.

Fortunately for us, the showrunners managed to convince Ortega otherwise after she realised the potential in the part and changed her mind; the rest is history.

Why were Wednesday showrunners desperate to get Ortega?

When deciding to first develop the show, the creators of Wednesday realised they were looking for an entirely fresh take on the classic character, which they quickly found in Ortega. The actress, who is of Latin descent, would bring a whole new perspective to the role. Not to mention her casting would be an important step forward for representation in Hollywood. However, despite all these factors in her favor, Ortega still had reservations about taking on the part.

Why she turned down the role at first

During a discussion with NetflixQueue.com, she explained, 'I was very hesitant to do the show, and I actually turned away from it a couple of times because it's been done so perfectly'.

Ortega was clearly aware of the Addams Family franchise's popular legacy and feared she may mess it up by taking on such an important role. However, Netflix's commitment to diversity and inclusion ultimately convinced her to say yes. Proving they were aiming to create an entirely new take on the character and not simply re-hash what had already been done before.

Why Ortega decided to take the role in the end

Ortega says that she was inspired by the show's creators' insistence on casting a Latin person in the role of Wednesday. Mainly because she saw it as an opportunity to make a positive impact on representation in Hollywood.

She described it in her own words, 'The fact that Netflix was so adamant about a Latin person being cast in a position like this... I can't think of a Latina character who has the same reach [that] Wednesday Addams does'.

Ortega was the perfect fit for the show

In hindsight, it's clear that Ortega made the right decision by taking on the role. Wednesday has been a massive success on Netflix, with audiences and critics alike praising the show's fresh take on the Addams Family and Ortega's captivating performance as Wednesday. As Tim Burton says, 'No matter how good the writing was, without the right Wednesday, the show wouldn't really exist. I can't imagine any other Wednesday.'

Looking back now, it's hard to believe that Jenna Ortega almost turned down the role at all. But thanks to her bravery and Netflix's commitment to representation, there is now a whole new generation of Addams Family fans and a bright career ahead of her for certain.

Source:NetflixQueue.