Jenna Ortega – The Emotional Challenges of Wednesday Adams
Stress, tears, fear, loneliness… Jenna Ortega didn’t have it easy when it came to the role of Wednesday Addams. In the article below, we reveal the difficult challenges the young actress faced.
We all loved the role of Wednesday Addams played by Jenna Ortega. Indeed, Tim Burton knew she was the perfect actress for the role. The result was spectacular, and the series became one of Netflix’s biggest hits. However, taking on the role of one of the most iconic goth characters in pop culture wasn’t easy for Jenny.
Netflix has now approved a second season, and the young actress has spoken about the psychological toll that filming the film took. As viewers, we are often unaware of the exhaustion that artists experience (Arias, 2019). We take a look at the emotional challenges Jenna Ortega had to face.
“I remember it was very stressful and confusing. I did the best I could, but it was probably the most overwhelming role I’ve ever played.”
Jenna Ortega and the emotional reality behind Wednesday
“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll do just fine. It’s going to look great,” Tim Burton told her when she expressed her concerns about filming. The young woman already had experience in films and television. She appeared in Jane the Virgin on the Disney Channel and also starred in the Scream series. This time, however, it was to be different.
The artist had to learn several extremely difficult skills in a really short time. To portray the fascinating and unique heroine of this series, she had to take fencing, cello and German classes. She had to learn skills that usually take months or even years to learn. As you might expect, this came at a cost.
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday Addams and the burden of anxiety
Interview Magazine published an interview between Christina Ricci and Jenna Ortega, in which they discussed the challenges of playing the role of the Adams daughter. At this meeting, Ortega emphasized how stressful filming was. It is not difficult to imagine the psychological pressure exerted on an artist when she has to become a figure who is a recognized cultural icon.
In fact, the actress admitted that at one point she felt completely defeated. She barely slept and filming took 12 to 14 hours a day. Besides, she only had one day off. And she used her few free hours to learn the above-mentioned skills. Not surprisingly, this type of dynamic is emotionally exhausting and can lead to serious clinical disorders.
Ortega stated that she suffered from episodes in which she pulled out her hair, a behavior associated with trichotillomania. A study published in Comprehensive Psychiatry confirms that this behavior is characteristic of anxiety disorders. For Jenna, the pressure to perform at her best as an actress was undoubtedly an emotional challenge.
“Don’t blink,” don’t show emotion
Ortega’s next challenge was to contain his emotions. Indeed, this rather strange character is known for showing no feelings or emotional reactions. It was difficult for the artist, especially when she was completely dominated by fears and stress.
As if that wasn’t enough, the famous director demanded one more thing from Ortega: that she not blink. The young actress also encountered the following difficulties during filming:
Jenna Ortega away from her family
Despite the fact that Jenna Ortega has been in the world of acting since she was a child, the Netflix series marked a before and after in her life as it brought her enormous success. However, the emotional cost of the session was extremely intense for her. For example, she had to move to Romania for project-related matters. There, the weight of her anxiety mixed with loneliness.
As she often declares in the media, she video chatted with her parents every evening with tears in her eyes. She didn’t think she was capable of taking on the challenge. She doubted herself and sometimes experienced performance anxiety. But willpower and passion for acting gave her the opportunity to overcome these difficulties.
What we don’t see: the psychological cost of fame
Ortega had an interesting conversation with presenter Oprah Winfrey, in which she also talked about her psychological problems related to fame. Becoming an artistic icon is not easy for most actors. When success comes so quickly and life changes from day to day, maintaining stability becomes difficult.
A study published in the Journal of Individual Differences raises interesting questions such as: Do you have to suffer to succeed? Can pressure be a motivating element for some people? He argues that, in some sense, great achievements require stepping outside our comfort zone.
Moreover, great success means facing unimaginable challenges that expand an individual’s capabilities. This is the case with Ortega, who not only shows that she is an excellent actress, but also can achieve great goals.
Celebrities and mental health, courage to break the stigma
For Jenna Ortega, the emotional challenges of playing Wednesday Adams were enormous. However, she overcame them thanks to willpower and enormous professional dedication. No doubt, the show’s second season will bring her new challenges, such as dealing with constant fame, constant exposure on social media, and a detailed examination of her life.
This young actress is extremely brave when it comes to revealing her experiences and breaking down stigma, raising the issue of mental health, and drawing attention to certain realities that previously remained in the shadow. In fact, these fears, anxiety, pressure and feelings of loneliness are common problems that we all deal with.
It is worth remembering that artists are also people and their weaknesses are similar to ours. Finally, we wish Jenna every success and well-being as we eagerly await the second series of the show.
