World Premiere Of Netflix's "Wednesday" - Arrivals© GettyImages

How Jenna Ortega prepared to play Wednesday: Including Billie Eilish, and learning German and archery

The Hollywood star described herself as a “weirdo” and revealed that she “used to perform autopsies on little animals” when she was younger.


Daniel Neira - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
NOVEMBER 23, 2022 1:07 PM EST

There is no doubt that Jenna Ortega is one of the most successful rising stars in Hollywood, and the new scream queen for all horror fans. And with her new highly anticipated portrayal of Wednesday Addams, the actress is revealing some of her inspirations, including Billie Eilish.

World Premiere Of Netflix's "Wednesday"   Arrivals© GettyImages

Jenna also explained why she likes being involved in horror films and series. “I wish people could see the other side of horror films,” she said during her interview with The Face. “We’re laughing so hard the entire time. We shot a scene with Ghostface in the last ‘Scream’ and there was one day where we could not stop laughing.”

She continued, “It’s really hard to scare me. People growing up would jump out from behind door frames and I wouldn’t flinch.” The actress also says that she loves “that stuff because it’s not real. Knock on wood, I haven’t been stabbed yet, so for me it’s still a fun thing that I do at work, which is so awful to say. I love it when the blood comes out. I love shooting chase scenes—they’re very fun for me.”

© GettyImages

Jenna explained that she definitely had a mood board to achieve the portrayal of her character, which included singer Billie Eilish, including when putting together Wednesday’s final look. In preparation for the role, Jenna learned to play the cello, learned German, and had to learn archery as well.

The Hollywood star described herself as a “weirdo” and revealed that she “used to perform autopsies on little animals” when she was younger. “Like little lizards that I found that were dead in my backyard.”