Buffy writer slams Jenna Ortega for ‘publicly s**ting on’ Wednesday showrunners and writers
Jenna Ortega had previously said she had to “put her foot down” with the Wednesday script. (Netflix)
Spartacus showrunner and Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Steven DeKnight has branded Jenna Ortega “entitled and toxic” for “s**ting” on the writers of Wednesday.
Netflix’s The Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday, may have been a huge success, but its titular star Ortega has been vocal in sharing exactly what she didn’t like about making the show – and the script, in particular.
Responding to tweets about her comments on the script, DeKnight, who has also worked on TV shows such as Smallville, Angel and Dollhouse, said that she had “clearly s**t on the showrunners/writers publicly”.
Expanding on his thoughts in a series of tweets, DeKnight continued: “It’s throwing your colleagues under the bus publicly that’s a no-go for me. I’ve had actors pull some outrageously egregious stuff that would curl your toes, but I would never ever name names or discuss it in public.”
Ortega expressed dissatisfaction with the script and the love triangle between her character, Xavier (Percy Hynes White) and Tyler (Hunter Doohan), while speaking on the Armchair Expert podcast earlier this month.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on Wednesday,” Ortega said. “Everything [she] does, everything I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all. Her being in a love triangle? It made no sense.
“There were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines,” she added.
In December, Ortega said she was “blown away” by some of the dialogue the Wednesday writers asked her to read out, including a line about her character “freaking out” over a dress she had to wear.
Wednesday fans have continually expressed their relief at Ortega changing the script, suggesting that she was the “only person” on the set who “actually understood the characters”.
Now, many have also leapt to Ortega’s defence following DeKnight’s comments, saying that her input made Wednesday “more authentic”.
Responding, DeKnight wrote: “To be clear, the issue isn’t her expressing her opinion to the showrunner/writers. It’s bad-mouthing them in public for how they wrote the character.
“Always praise publically or don’t say anything at all.”
Despite the supposed issues with the original script, Wednesday has become something of a phenomenon and is already one of the most-watched Netflix series of all time.
Ortega is currently starring in box-office smash Scream VI and last weekend hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time.
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