Jenna Ortega Rejected ‘Wednesday’ Offers Because She ‘Wanted to Do Film,’ Says It’d Be Preferable if the Show Wasn’t a Massive Hit

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jenna Ortega keeps it brutally honest when it comes to discussing “Wednesday,” her smash hit Netflix series that ranks behind only “Stranger Things 4” as Netflix’s most-watched English-language series of all time.

In a recent interview with The Times U.K., Ortega revealed she did not desperately want the role of Wednesday Addams. She even turned down multiple offers to star in what would become a breakthrough role. “I got the email, passed on it,” Ortega said. “I had done so much TV in my life.

All I’ve ever wanted to do is film…You have to prove yourself. It’s only in the last three or four years that I’ve been able to start going up for film.

I was scared that by signing on to another television show it could prevent me from doing other jobs I really wanted and cared about.” “The only reason I went back is because Tim [Burton, director and executive producer of ‘Wednesday’] is such a legend, and we just happened to get along very well,” Ortega added. “But even then I said, ‘Ah, no — I think I’m OK,’ a couple [more] times.” Ortega never expected “Wednesday” to become such a global phenomenon. “I thought it wasn’t going to be watched,” she said. “That it will be a nice little gem that someone finds, but [most people don’t].” When asked by the Times if “that would be preferable,” referring to the show being a small gem and not a massive hit everyone watched, Ortega answered, “Yeah.” “I used to do a Disney show when I was younger,” Ortega said. “I was a little bit of a public figure, used to get recognized, or whatever.