Jenna Ortega reacts to Wednesday success
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The gist
Actress Jenna Ortega said she "couldn't believe" Wednesday's success and remains "a little confused by it."
The Netflix hit made her a global star, and she says it will always define how people see her.
Background
Jenna Ortega, 24, stars as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton's Netflix series Wednesday, a role she has called a "dream role." The show ranks as Netflix's most popular English-language series of all time with more than 252 million views, and season 2 also sits among its top 10. Ortega has said she doubted the show during production and misses the anonymity she had before it took off, which is why she is discussing the success now in a podcast appearance and a Vogue cover interview.
How it unfolded
- 2022Wednesday premiered; Ortega said during early production she "didn't think that it was working at all."
- 2022When the show blew up, Ortega felt profoundly disoriented as children stopped her in the street and she saw her own face on T-shirts.
- Oct 22, 2026On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ortega said she "couldn't believe" the show's success and is "still to this day... a little confused by it."
- Oct 22, 2026Vogue published its November 2026 cover interview in which Ortega discussed Wednesday's impact on her life.
Who’s saying what
- Ortega
- She said the reaction "felt like some sick mind game that the world was [playing]" and that she is still a little confused by the success.
- Ortega
- She said that after the show blew up there was "no one really showing you the ropes."
Still unverified
Collider reports "some are whispering" that the third season of Wednesday will be the show's final outing.