Rising star Jenna Ortega is being criticized for her “beyond toxic” attitude and diva-like manner on set by Hollywood producer Steven DeKnight. The actress rose to fame for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the hit Netflix show Wednesday. She is also known for starring in Scream VI and Jane the Virgin.
The controversy started after Ortega appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast, where she relayed to host Dax Shepard the things she did on behalf of her character in the series. With these revelations, DeKnight could not help but condemn her actions.
Renowned Producer Steven DeKnight Slams Jenna Ortega’s “Toxic” Behavior On The Set Of Wednesday
Steven Deknight aired on Twitter his sentiments on Jenna Ortega’s behavior while filming Wednesday. He said that, as directors and writers, they are open to discussing the script with actors, although some things have to be strictly followed for the whole scene to make sense. He tweeted:
“She’s an amazing talent. It was just an unfortunate situation to expose creative differences publicly, and also I’ll admit that writers are on edge because of the impending strike, myself included. A perfect storm.”
This was after Ortega claimed that she contributed so much to her character that she ended up changing lines:
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on ‘Wednesday.’ Everything that Wednesday does, everything I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all.”
She continued slamming the show’s script on the podcast, and Ortega even admitted that most of the time, she was dissatisfied with her performance.
“I became almost unprofessional in a sense, where I just started changing lines. I had to sit down with the writers, and they’d be like, ‘Wait, what happened to the scene?’ And I’d have to go and explain why I couldn’t go do certain things.”
DeKnight has never worked with Ortega, but the concerned producer has a nugget of advice for the budding young artist:
“She’s young, so maybe she doesn’t know any better (but she should). She should also ask herself how she would feel if the showrunners gave an interview and talked about how difficult she was and refused to perform the material.”
The Smallville director praises Ortega’s work, but he also noted that it is difficult to work with people like her in the show business industry. He calls it “beyond entitled and toxic.” DeKnight warned that matters like this should be relayed behind the scenes and not publicly aired on a podcast.
“In this business, it’s extremely bad form to throw your collaborators under a creative bus.”
Wednesday became Netflix’s second-largest English-language series of all time, with a whopping 1.02 billion views recorded in just three weeks.
Wednesday Addams Is Coming Back For Season 2
The hit Netflix show has been renewed for Season 2 where Jenna Ortega will also serve as an executive producer. Tim Burton, director of Wednesday, told Elle that the 20-year-old actress perfectly embodies the character:
“You have to kind of ‘be’ Wednesday, and that’s what Jenna is. Whether she likes it or not, she’s got that in her soul, and as a person.”
Although there is no confirmed release date and an official lineup of the cast at the moment, fans were assured that a second installment is brewing at the headquarters. Netflix has already hinted on social media about the return of a more torturous adventure.
Wednesday Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Armchair Expert, Twitter, Elle
