Jenna Ortega doesn’t always want to give two snaps to her iconic role.
Ahead of the release of Wednesday’s second season on Netflix this summer, the 22-year-old admitted that she sometimes feels trapped playing the titular teen as she’s grown into adulthood.
“I’m doing a show I’m going to be doing for years where I play a schoolgirl,” Jenna told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview published May 28. “But I’m also a young woman.”
“It’s like how you’re dressed in the schoolgirl costume,” she continued. “There’s just something about it that’s very patronizing. Also, when you’re short, people are already physically looking down on you.”
Adding that boys can often “get away with more,” the Scream actress found herself grappling with the pressure of public expectations that formed after seeing her play such a youthful, yet quirky, character.
“But girls, if they don’t stay as this perfect image of how they were first introduced to you,” Jenna explained, “then it’s ‘Ah, something’s wrong. She’s changed. She sold her soul.’“
“You’re watching these women at the most pivotal times in their lives,” she added, “they’re experimenting because that’s what you do.”
Indeed, the Stuck in the Middle alum—who was cast in the Disney Channel series at just 13 years old—expressed that throwing herself into diverse and unexpected roles is her favorite way to stretch people’s expectations of her. And though playing the iconic Wednesday Addams can make her feel belittled at times, the role does come with its own creative opportunities.
“I definitely feel like I have a bit more Gothic taste than I did when I was a teenager,” Jenna said. “I’ve always been into dark things or been fascinated by them, but I was a Disney kid, and the whole thing is being bubbly and kind and overly sweet.”
“What’s so strange about a character like Wednesday is that Wednesday is an outcast and an outsider—but she’s also a pop-culture icon,” she continued. “So, in a strange way, I feel like I’ve become a pop actor—if that makes sense. And that’s something I never saw for myself.”
And as she continues to pave her own path in Hollywood, the Death of a Unicorn star emphasized that she is ready to move on to roles that are “older and bolder and different.”
“I’m very grateful for my audience,” Jenna gushed, “and I want to be able to give back to them. But I also want to do things that are creatively fulfilling to me.”
“It’s finding that balance of doing movies that they might be interested in and then doing movies that I’m interested in,” she added. “And then I want to be able to line up all of my girls and see something different in all of them.”
To see all the times Jenna channeled her iconic character off the screen, keep reading.
Sleek and Chic
In vintage Atelier Versace.
Morticia Addams Vibes
In Saint Laurent.
Two Snaps
In Saint Laurent.
Suited Up
In Dzojchen.
Lady in Lace
In Valentino.
Silver Siren
In Dolce & Gabbana.
Hitting the Mark
In Jean Paul Gaultier.
Goth Bride
In Versace.
Fiery Details
In Dion Lee.
All-Black Uniform
In Valentino.
Monochromatic Mode
In Dolce & Gabbana.
