As it turns out, Wednesday and Jenna Ortega have a lot in common. Neither young woman is nearly as chipper as society might expect them to be, and as Ortega told TUDUM, her sarcastic, “very dry” sense of humor had been earning her comparisons to Wednesday Addams long before she was cast in the role.
Unfortunately though, when you’re living in the real world, it’s tough to possess Wednesday’s unwavering self-confidence — especially when all eyes seem to be on you. Ortega had previously told Vogue that, much like Wednesday, she prefers not to wear color. But while Wednesday doesn’t mind wearing an all-black dress to a dance when everyone else is dressed in white, Ortega will still occasionally wear relatively bright, conventional outfits “because I feel like I have to.”
Given how similar Wednesday is to Ortega, taking on the role gave the actor permission to express a side of herself that she might usually feel pressure to cover up. Ortega elaborated on the experience when speaking to TUDUM:
“It was a very freeing, gratifying experience, because you don’t have to care. If you’re in a bad mood, and you have a stink face, it doesn’t matter … [Wednesday] sticks to her guns, and she’s not out to please anybody. Which, as someone who used to be an immense people pleaser, I really respect.”
Incidentally, Christina Ricci also reported similar feelings of relief when speaking about her experience playing Wednesday Addams. Considering the fact that the most recent versions of Wednesday have been so much fun for viewers and the performers alike, it might not hurt to get some new, similar characters on-screen.