Jenna Ortega spilled on the second season of Wednesday and how it will “lean into the horror more” than the record-breaking first season of the series.
As part of a Variety interview with fellow actor Elle Fanning, Jenna spoke about becoming a producer on the Netflix series, a move that she said was a “natural progression” for her.
“With a character like Wednesday, who is so beloved, I didn’t want to get her wrong. So I tried to have as many conversations as possible with the writers. We’d decide what works and what doesn’t,” she said.
“In preparation for a second season, we wanted to make sure that we could start the conversations earlier. I’m just so curious: I want to see the outfits, new characters, scripts.”
The Wednesday star said the second season is still coming together and she wants the show to “lean into the horror more.”
“We’re ditching any romantic love interest, which is really great. We’re going to get bolder, more dark. I’ve never had to do a serious period piece before,” she added.
Jenna shared similar desires for the series’ second season when she talked to The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon back in March.
“I think we want to up the horror aspect a little bit and then get Wednesday out of the romantic situation, let her be her own individual and fight her own crime,” she said at the time.
In a roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Jenna said she feels fortunate to have her new role on the show, adding that she’s felt people in the TV world haven’t listened to her.
She explained: “I’ve had experiences in TV where I felt my voice wasn’t heard, that I was meant to be a puppet. I’ve been told on sets, ‘You wouldn’t know because you’re not a writer,’ or ‘Just shut up and do your job.’ From 12 years old, I’ve been hearing things like that.
“So, I went into Wednesday with hesitance. But I was fortunate to be working with someone like Tim Burton, who pulled me in his trailer one day and said that he wanted to be a soundboard for my voice.”