Find out why Jenna Ortega cried “hysterically” over Wednesday shooting schedule

Wednesday might have become one of Netflix’s biggest shows of all time in 2022, even beating out HBO’s House of the Dragon for the most-watched premiere, but the show was apparently not an easy one to make, at least not for star Jenna Ortega.

According to a new interview, the 20-year-old actress would often cry “hysterically” over the strict shooting schedule. What happened that made Ortega so stressed out on set?

For those who might have missed the boat on Wednesday or need a quick refresher, the new Netflix teen mystery series is about Wednesday Addams from the iconic Addams Family franchise.

Created by Tim Burton, Wednesday features a talented cast of notable Hollywood actors like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christina Ricci, and Gwendoline Christie alongside up-and-coming stars like Ortega, who had a breakout year in 2022 with Wednesday and movies like Scream and X.

The series quickly became a smash hit for Netflix, climbing the ranks of the streamer’s overall Top 10 chart just behind Stranger Things season 4. It’s already been renewed for a second season.

Jenna Ortega cried “hysterically” over Wednesday shooting schedule

“I did not get any sleep. I pulled my hair out. There’s so many FaceTime calls that my dad answered of me hysterically crying,” says Ortega of the Wednesday shooting schedule.

What caused Ortega’s anguish, exactly? Based on the answers she provided during a Netflix Q&A conducted by Variety, it sounds like the main reason was due to an intense amount of lessons alongside the long shoot days.

In addition to shooting 12-14 hour days, Ortega would then have to attend rigorous cello and fencing lessons. If you recall, during the show, there are some scenes where Wednesday plays the cello, and both she and Burton agreed that Ortega would do as much of the action and filming as she could.

"“We started running out of time because Wednesday’s in pretty much every scene. They had to start using stunt doubles or occasionally cello doubles if they didn’t have time to get hands, but I was very adamant about being as well prepared as possible because I wanted them to be able to use myself, because that’s so much more believable if you could see your face.”"

It sounds like Ortega puts tons of pressure on herself, hopefully she knows now that people genuinely love her in the role and can cut herself some slack next time around.

This news is on top of Ortega revealing that she filmed the now-iconic Wednesday dance scene while she had COVID-19. Let’s hope the Wednesday season 2 shoot is easier on the actress!