Jenna Ortega Was Covered In (Fake) Blood Going Into Her Wednesday Audition
This post contains spoilers for the movie "X."
Hollywood's brightest new star Jenna Ortega isn't just an incredible talent, she also has an unbeatable work ethic that would put some of show biz's most weathered veterans to shame. When the actor landed a major audition just on the heels of a huge movie shoot, she knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity — even if it meant coming to the audition with special effects makeup on. Ortega was worried that the energy she spent shooting the independent slasher "X" may have cost her a starring role in Netflix's hit series "Wednesday," but luckily her deadpan delivery and undead look perfectly fit the profile of her creepy character.
When Ortega first found out that executive producer/director Tim Burton wanted her to star in his reboot of the "Addams Family" franchise, she thought someone was playing a cruel joke on her. Burton got his start as an animator and has gone on to direct animated features like "Corpse Bride." His distinctive style has given all of his work a spooky and widely beloved touch that extends even into his live-action projects, including "Wednesday." Ortega couldn't believe that such a huge Hollywood name would want to work with her. At that point, her resume mostly consisted of supporting credits in shows like Netflix's "You."
"I got an email saying that Tim wanted to speak to me," Ortega recalled in an interview with ExtraTV. "I'd just like heard about the job and, it's kind of random, you almost feel like you're being pranked or something because there's no way that someone so legendary, such a visionary — I truly felt very, very lucky."
Once she landed the audition, Ortega would stop at nothing to show up — even if it meant dialing into the Zoom call caked in fake blood.
She hadn't slept since shooting a critical scene in X
When it came time to audition for "Wednesday," Jenna Ortega had just finished shooting her character's death scene in "X." "I get a gunshot to the head," she explained to Wired. "Yeah, I just had to lay in the corner dead with a prosthetic on my face that gave me a cut."
This was the makeup that Ortega would wear in her very first meeting with Tim Burton. "When I met Tim Burton for my 'Wednesday' audition I had just finished doing that so I had stage blood and glycerin sweat in my hair, a massive cut on my face, and had been up for over 24 hours," Ortega added.
She was concerned that the director would be put off by her appearance, but she was dealing with the king of all things creepy. "I got on that Zoom and he actually laughed," Ortega recounted. "It made me laugh. I thought it was endearing."
Ortega's sleep deprivation might have helped her with Wednesday's monotonous delivery and dark under-eye circles, but it still made her incredibly nervous about her chances. The actor was sure that her lack of sleep had cost her the audition. "I was literally dozing off before the call, so I remember thinking I had not done well," she revealed to Who What Wear.
It's hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role now, but the "Scream VI" star was scared to embody such a revered character. Christina Ricci's memorable depiction of Wednesday in "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values" left Ortega with very big shoes to fill. "I was incredibly intimidated," she admitted. "Nostalgia is immensely powerful, and it's also part of the reason why superhero and horror films are so well respected and attended to today."
Ortega was nervous about losing the role — and even more nervous about getting it
At first, Jenna Ortega was scared that she had blown her "Wednesday" audition. But once she nabbed the role, she came incredibly close to turning it down.
"I had done so much TV in my life, all I've ever wanted to do is film," Ortega told The Times. "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. It's only in the last three or four years that I've been able to start going up for film."
Ortega was concerned that the Netflix series would limit her choices to television when her aspiration had been moviemaking all along. "I was scared that signing on to another television show could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about," she continued.
Luckily, Tim Burton's involvement ended up swaying her to sign onto the project. "[He] is such a legend, and we just happened to get along very well," Ortega added. "But even then I said, 'Ah, no — I think I'm OK,' a couple [more] times."
It might seem illogical for an up-and-comer to turn down such a huge opportunity, but Ortega was not sold on the show's future success. She actually anticipated that the series "wasn't going to be watched." Of course, her prediction couldn't have been more wrong — "Wednesday" quickly became one of Netflix's most-watched original shows of all time, per CNET.
Despite Ortega's initial reservations and doubts, she's since signed on for "Wednesday" season 2 (which promises to veer away from romance and further into horror). There's no telling exactly what this blood-caked talent has up her sleeve, but it's going to be gory!