Jenna Ortega has revealed that the explosive success of Netflix’s Wednesday left her feeling overwhelmed and unhappy. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the 21-year-old actress said she struggled with fame and pressure following the show’s breakout.
“To be quite frank, after the show and trying to figure everything out, I was an unhappy person,” Ortega said. “After the pressure, the attention — as somebody who’s quite introverted, that was so intense and so scary.”
Wednesday, which became Netflix’s most-watched English-language series with over 252 million views, launched Ortega into global stardom. The sudden spotlight was a lot to handle, she admitted, especially as her every move began to face public scrutiny online.
“I felt incredibly misunderstood,” she said. “I feel like being a bully is very popular right now. Having been on the wrong side of the rumor mill was incredibly eye-opening.”
Despite acting since childhood, Ortega said her new level of fame came with both rewards and challenges. On the upside, she discovered new interests, including playing the cello and embracing a darker, more Gothic style. “I’ve always been into dark things, but I was a Disney kid — bubbly, kind, overly sweet. Now I feel like I have a bit more Gothic taste,” she said.
However, the downside includes being typecast. Ortega said continuing to play a schoolgirl in Wednesday while growing into adulthood feels limiting.
“I’m doing a show I’m going to be doing for years where I play a schoolgirl. But I’m also a young woman,” she said. “You just don’t feel like you’re being taken seriously.”
To break out of that mold, Ortega has signed on for several diverse film roles. Her upcoming projects include Death of a Unicorn (A24), Hurry Up Tomorrow with The Weeknd, Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun, and The Gallerist alongside Natalie Portman.
She also expressed frustration with how the industry — and audiences — often expect women to stay frozen in the image they were first known for.
“There’s something very patronizing about being dressed in a schoolgirl costume,” Ortega said. “Also, when you’re short, people are already physically looking down on you. Girls, if they don’t stay as this perfect image, then it’s ‘Ah, something’s wrong. She’s changed. She sold her soul.’ But you’re watching women during the most pivotal times of their lives. They’re experimenting — because that’s what you do.”
Still, Ortega remains thankful for the fans who helped her rise to fame. “I’m very grateful,” she said. “I want to be able to give back to them. But I also want to do things that are creatively fulfilling to me.”
Her goal, she explained, is to find a balance between fan-friendly projects and personal artistic growth. “I want roles that are older and bolder and different. I want to line up all of my girls and see something different in all of them.”
Season 2 of Wednesday will be released in two parts on Netflix. The first half debuts on Aug. 6, with the second part arriving Sept. 3.
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