Fans of Netflix's popular Wednesday series may be surprised to find a little less romance in season 2, according to its star Jenna Ortega.
Based on the popular Addam's Family franchise, the Netflix series starred Ortega in the lead role of the dour Wednesday Addams as she navigated the pitfalls of adolescence at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday unraveled the Academy's mysteries and monsters, including a love triangle between Wednesday, Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan), and Xavier Thorpe (Percy Hynes White).
However, Ortega tells Variety that Wednesday season 2 will feature less dramatic romance and more horror elements. Recently promoted to a producing role on the series, Ortega hopes to “lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more. Because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.” As a result, the romance is tossed aside, with Ortega saying, “We’re ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday, which is really great.” Ortega's elevation to producer comes amid some discussions online of a strained set during the production of season 1 and rumors of disagreements on the Wednesday set. Her involvement as more than a performer may quell some of these tensions going into the second season. Ortega says greater involvement in the character’s development can only be good.
With Ortega's star on the rise, both for the Wednesday series and as one of Hollywood's newest favorite scream queens of the horror genre, sound choices about the series' development can be expected, which Ortega is excited about. "Being a young woman in the industry, sometimes people don’t take you as seriously or as open to the conversations before. I’ve had insane conversations with people in terms of … I just stay in my place, and I don’t know because I’m not this or that, or I’m just an actor. You become a puppet," she said. "But the most beautiful experiences that I’ve had on a job, or the jobs that I’m most proud of, have always been the ones where everyone’s voice is heard. Everyone pitches in."
The shift in focus undoubtedly allows Wednesday to focus more on character development and horror-driven plots for both Wednesday herself and a strong, interesting cast of strange characters at Nevermore Academy. What those plots will be about remains a mystery.
Wednesday season 1 is available on Netflix.
Source: Variety