‘Wednesday’ Lead Jenna Ortega Admits Disney Trauma,
For years, we have seen the effect that being a child star can have on Hollywood celebrities, and for many of the most tragic cases of mental health problems, there is Disney to thank.
For many, growing up watching the Disney Channel was the norm. Not only were we able to be introduced to iconic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse (thanks to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse), but it was the place where kids and pre-teens would go to watch TV shows that they could relate to. Disney was creating storylines that showcased kids going to school, falling in love, getting in trouble, and navigating through life, giving their younger audience something to directly relate to, as they could essentially see themselves in at least one character in the show they were watching after school.
Shows like Even Stevens, Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire Sonny With a Chance, Wizards of Waverly Place, as well as movies like High School Musical, Camp Rock, and so many others skyrocketed many child stars into a lifetime of fame.
For some, that level of fame worked out, but many others have opened up with the struggles that working for Disney had caused. Stars like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Christy Carlson Romano, and more have all shared that negative experiences that they had to endure when it came to working for Disney and growing up as a celebrity.
Another incredibly famous individual who got her start from Disney is the legendary Jenna Ortega.
Right now, Jenna Ortega is heavily known for her work in the horror industry. Dubbed the unofficial scream queen, Ortega has actually starred in the Scream series as lead Tara Carpenter, X, YOU, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Insidious 2, Studio 666 and more. She is most known for her work on the hit Netflix series Wednesday, where she plays Wednesday Addams, daughter of Morticia Addams and Gomez Addams in The Addams Family spinoff directed by Tim Burton.
The show broke Netflix records within the first week of airing, and now, is the most-watched season of any English-speaking show on the platform, even beating Stranger Things 4.
Before she rose to fame in the darker genre of horror, Ortega was the lead on Disney’s Stuck in the Middle.
Publication The Things went in depth regarding Ortega’s time on set with Disney, sharing the darker parts that came with her rise to fame within the House of Mouse. “Jenna Ortega’s acting career began when she was only nine years old after her mother uploaded a video of her on Facebook. Since then, Ortega has been struggling, even saying in an interview, “I would say I’m pretty tired, but when I’m not working, I lose my mind.” In this article, we look at why Jenna Ortega needed therapy during her first acting gigs.”
When Ortega worked on Stuck in the Middle, she not only had to navigate her job as an actor at 12 years old, but had to deal with the clashing personalities of eight other kids on set, who would fight a lot. It seems that the arguments would leave young Ortega mentally drained.
She said, “So even though the kids had no problem with each other because the parents did, they would side with one another. We had therapy sessions, like collectively, cast therapy sessions.” Ortega said Disney had to bring someone in because filming together had become difficult because everyone was fighting with each other.”
In addition to the on-set conflicts, Jenna Ortega’s time with Disney involved grueling hours and intense pressure. Parents of the child actors would often interrogate them, aiming to improve their own children’s performances. To cope with the stress of balancing work and school, the network enlisted a therapist. However, Ortega felt unable to confide in the therapist, fearing that anything she shared would be relayed to production and Disney executives. Consequently, she found little help in the therapy sessions, as they did not provide the confidentiality one would assume.
Stuck in the Middle ended in 2018, and Jenna has not returned to working for Disney since.
Jenna has been very outspoken regarding what she enjoys working on, and that is the horror genre.
“There’s some invisible string that’s connected to serial killers, monsters, creatures, and myself. No matter where I go”, she said. “I feel like it’s something that’s always been attractive to me since I was younger, something I was always into. It’s what feels right to me, and it tends to be the scripts I’m into.”
Ortega’s resume is heavily populated with horror and thriller movies, and her upcoming films will continue to add to the list. She just recently wrapped Beetlejuice 2, which will be the second project that she will work with Tim Burton on. Ortega will be playing the daughter of Lydia Deetz, and will star with the returning cast of Winona Ryder, Micheal Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and the newly joined Willem Dafoe.
She will also join Marvel star Paul Rudd in the upcoming Death of a Unicorn later this year.
Right now, Jenna is gearing up to film season 2 of Wednesday, which will begin in April. Filming will commence in Ireland, and the show has promised to take a much darker outlook when it comes to the plot. The idea of romance with Jenna’s character will be in the backseat now, and horror will take the front. Jenna will now be a producer on the show, and has stated that each episode is being written and filmed as if they are all smaller movies, promising even higher quality and storytelling this season.
We will also be introduced to another member of The Addams Family who has not been brought to the show as of yet, which will be quite exciting for fans of the original series.
We do not yet have a release date for Wednesday, season 2, however, with the show not at all being featured in the 2024 promo of upcoming releases, 2025 or later seems to be the current timeline for fans to return to Nevermore Academy.
Will you be watching Jenna Ortega in Wednesday, season 2?
