Jenna Ortega Admits Being ‘Unhappy’ After ‘Wednesday’ Fame

In a recent candid interview, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega revealed the price of spooky stardom. Spoiler alert: it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Turns out, turning into a global icon overnight can make you feel like Thing crawling through a maze of expectations.  

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that she was “an unhappy person” after she became famous, thanks to the Netflix show, with season 2 almost here. “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.” 

The Yes Day actress also shared how she felt “incredibly misunderstood,” and that “having been on the wrong side of the rumor mill was incredibly eye-opening.” 

Ortega, however, acknowledged the advantages of being able to do what she does, including having new interests: “I definitely feel like I have a bit more Gothic taste than I did when I was a teenager. 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.” Still, there are disadvantages, including being typecast into a role, prompting her to do movies of different genres. After doing Wednesday season 1, Ortega starred in Death of a Unicorn with Paul Rudd, Hurry Up Tomorrow with The Weeknd, and The Gallerist with Natalie Portman. 

Ortega also revealed how difficult it is to be taken seriously as an adult actress after starting as a child star. Her role on Wednesday, requiring her to wear a schoolgirl costume, isn't helping her case. “There’s just something about it that’s very patronizing. Also, when you’re short, people are already physically looking down on you. Girls, if they don’t stay as this perfect image of how they were first introduced to you, then it’s ‘Ah, something’s wrong. She’s changed. She sold her soul.’ But you’re watching these women at the most pivotal times in their lives; they’re experimenting because that’s what you do.” 

Still, she’s very grateful for the success of the TV show that catapulted her to stardom. That’s why now she’s trying to balance in accepting projects that her fans might be interested in and doing movies “that are creatively fulfilling” to her: “[I want roles that are] older and bolder and different. And then I want to be able to line up all of my girls and see something different in all of them.” 

Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 will premiere on August 6 with Part 2 following on September 3.