Jenna Ortega was initially hesitant to take on the titular role in Netflix’s “Wednesday” because she didn’t want to star in another TV show.
The “Scream” star, 20, told the Times UK that she was unsure about signing on to the Tim Burton-helmed comedy horror series because she wanted to focus more on her film career.
“I got the email, passed on it,” she said. “I had done so much TV in my life. All I’ve ever wanted to do is film.”
“When I first started acting, I don’t want to say nobody believed in me, but at the same time, nobody believed in me. You have to prove yourself,” she added.
Ortega said that since she’s starred in several high-profile projects, she’s shifted her priorities.
“It’s only in the last three or four years that I’ve been able to start going up for film,” she said. “I was scared that by signing on to another television show it could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about.”
On television, she shot to fame with appearances on shows such as “You,” “Jane the Virgin” and “Stuck in the Middle.”
Ortega choreographed her viral dance in just two days.©Netflix/Courtesy Everett CollectionThe California native has also made a name for herself on the big screen, with roles in movies like “Scream 6,” “Studio 666” and “X.”
She then told the British publication how she decided to star in “Wednesday” because Burton, 64, was producing it.
She called the “Beetlejuice” director a “legend” and revealed she “got along well” with him.
Ortega’s role as Wednesday Addams has received positive reviews, with the show being renewed for a second season.
“When I first started acting, I don’t want to say nobody believed in me, but at the same time, nobody believed in me,” she said.AFP via Getty ImagesHer famous dance on the show has also since gone viral on the internet. She revealed last December how she quickly crafted the routine in just two days.
Ortega divulged on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” at the time that Burton told her to come up with the choreography herself and he had the utmost faith in her to create an eye-catching whirl and twirl.
The dance scene was present in the fourth episode, with Ortega moving around while having a deadpanned face to the Cramps’ 1981 tune “Goo Goo Muck.”
She also admitted that she only made one wrong step during the dance.
“I had not gone over it at all,” Ortega said. “I was doing cello that week, fencing that week. I just didn’t have time … Oh my God, I was kicking myself. I felt like such a fool.”
