Jenna Ortega has opened up about the Denzel Washington film that “changed the entire course of my existence” in a new interview.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Ortega spoke about changing her career path at a young age after watching the film. Soon after seeing it, she revealed that wanted to be an actor.
“I’m so appreciative of my six-year-old self who wanted to be a president and an astronaut…because I realise now that I was always looking for a way out,” she told the publication, before revealing that she then went on to watch the Washington film Man On Fire, also starring a young Dakota Fanning.
The film, she explained, “changed the entire course of my existence,” after which she decided she wanted to be an actor after seeing Fanning’s performance.
Soon after, her parents posted a video of her reading a monologue to Facebook, which was sent to a casting director. After that, she started to attend auditions in LA.
Ortega now stars as the titular character Wednesday, the hit Netflix series that’s a spin-off of the Addams Family and focuses on Wednesday’s solo adventures. The series became a major hit in 2023 amassing more than 250 million views and winning four Emmys.
Back in May, Netflix released a teaser trailer for Wednesday season two, confirming the addition of new cast members Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, Joanna Lumley and Thandie Newton.
The second season is currently in production and, at the time of writing, is expected to be released on the streaming platform by late 2024 or early 2025.
Filming of the show moved to County Wicklow and became the largest production ever shot in Ireland according to its local industry body.
For Screen Ireland – which has welcomed numerous films and TV shows over the years, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Wednesday will mark the “largest production to ever film in Ireland” in terms of production spend.
To celebrate the news, Ireland’s prime minister, Taoiseach Simon Harris, visited the set, meeting series director Tim Burton, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and several Irish creatives working on the production.
“I’m delighted to see Ireland continues to be chosen as a location to film series and movies which supports our economy, creates jobs, showcases our creative talents and promotes our country on a global stage,” Harris said in a statement (via Variety).
“In recent years we have invested substantially in productions made in Ireland, such as The Siege of Jadotville, The Wonder, Bodkin, and Vikings: Valhalla, added Anna Mallett, Netflix’s VP Production EMEA, who said that, alongside the “cultural juggernaught” of Wednesday it would also be filming Marian Keyes’ Grown Ups and Lisa McGee’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“Ireland has long been a home for MGM Television productions from the original Vikings in 2012, to Vikings: Valhalla, and now Wednesday,” said Lindsay Sloane, Head of MGM Television. “We have found resources in Ireland to be top notch and an incredibly skilled group of professionals and apprentices that help bring our productions to life.”