Jenna Ortega is about to get creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky. According to Deadline, she’s been cast as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday, a new Netflix series that will give fans of The Addams Family a look at what the pigtailed girl with a sadistic side is like as a teenager.
Edward Scissorhands creator Tim Burton, who was previously in talks to direct and produce new episodes of The Addams Family, is directing the series.
Jenna, 18, has starred in the satirical telenovela Jane the Virgin and the Disney Channel series Stuck in the Middle. Those roles didn’t require her to get in touch with her dark side, but she’s also proven that she has what it takes to make the perfect Wednesday.
When She Rocked Pigtails
Jenna does have some experience starring in scary flicks that Wednesday would likely enjoy, including a small role in the supernatural horror film Insidious: Chapter 2. Her character in The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Phoebe Atwell, could even pass for an older, edgier Wednesday who has traded her braided pigtails for long straight ones and bantu knots.
Phoebe spent time in juvenile hall and has an affinity for snakes, which is a trait that it’s easy to imagine spider fanatic Wednesday sharing. She even uses a crossbow, something that Wednesday has been known to do.
When She Wore A Black Collared Dress
Jenna totally channeled Wednesday Addams in 2016 when she attended Latina Magazine‘s 20th Anniversary Event in a knee-length black collared dress. Past iterations of the character, including Christina Ricci’s version from the 1991 and 1993 Addams Family movies, have worn dark garb and a pointed white collar. However, Jenna’s Wednesday might have to wear a school uniform.
Her series will be set at a learning institution called Nevermore Academy. Here, Wednesday will learn to master her psychic ability while she works on solving a supernatural family mystery. She’ll also be tasked with thwarting “a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town.”
When She Showed Off Her Gnarly Fake Leg Wound
Wednesday Addams certainly isn’t squeamish, and she’d probably be rather impressed by the gory fake thigh wound that Jenna showed off in an October 31, 2020 Instagram pic. The actress also had black mascara running from her eyes in the Halloween share.
In her caption, Jenna added a disclaimer informing her followers that the photo was not from the Scream 5 set. In further proof that her star is currently on the rise, Jenna was cast in the highly anticipated installment of the slasher franchise.
“It’s crazy! It’s weird too, because when I first started, I said I always wanted to do horror, so this is a huge dream come true,” she told Entertainment Tonight of her Scream casting.
When She Looked Really Happy To Be Dissecting A Frog
In 2015, Jenna shared a photo of herself that was shot during her days at John Glenn Middle School in Indio, California. She was holding a tray containing a dead frog that she was seemingly about to start dissecting, and she had a big smile on her face. Fun fact: there’s actually a frog dissection scene in the 2019 animated Addams Family movie.
During an interview with The Desert Sun, Jenna talked about leaving eighth grade to focus on acting full time.
“One day my mom picked me up from school and she goes ‘You’re not going back,'” she recalled. “I was like ‘Shoot. I’ve got to say goodbye to my friends.’ I went back the next day and said good bye. That’s when it all happened.”
