Jenna Ortega is excited to be the first Latina to play Wednesday Addams

Jenna Ortega stars in Tim Burton’s awaited new series, “Wednesday.” The series follows Wednesday Adams, the iconic character of “The Addams Family,” and is the first project to center her as the lead character. Ortega is also the first Latina to ever play the role, something that she credits as one of the main reasons why she signed on to it.

In an interview with Empire magazine, Ortega talked about the importance of Wednesday Addams and of working with Tim Burton, the iconic director behind some of Hollywood’s most popular and beloved films. “Wednesday has been done so perfectly. Like there’s nothing that you could do to make it – it can’t get any better,” she said. “I knew that I could not be ripping anybody off. She’s a deadpan character. She’s sarcastic and she’s tough. I think there are several different paths that I or anyone could have taken to this part. It’s been really incredible because our director, Tim Burton, is very collaborative,” she said. Wednesday has been played by a variety of actresses, most notably Christina Ricci, who played her in “The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values.”

When speaking about her heritage and the fact that she’d be the first Latina to portray Wednesday Addams, Ortega said, “A big part of the reason I signed on is because she’s technically a Latina character and that’s never been shown or represented.” In the Burton series, Wednesday’s father, Gomez Addams, is played by Luis Guzman, while Wednesday’s brother, Pugsley, is played by Isaac Ordonez. “As someone who struggled, and still struggles to this day, with some sort of feeling of representation or relatability in mainstream media and film and television, I recognised this was an opportunity for me to… give that relatability to other girls like myself,” Ortega said. She added that throughout her life she’s been compared to Wednesday, sharing that dry humour and nature, and that it was fitting and exciting for her to take on that role. “I thought that would be a nice way to flex my muscles in a different way.”

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“Wednesday” stars Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Gwendoline Christie as the school principal Larissa Weems, and more exciting actors. According to Deadline, the series, written by Al Gough and Miles Millar (“Smallville”), is a coming of age story focusing on Wednesday’s formative years and her experience at Nevermore Academy. Throughout the series she deals with friendships and relationships, while also attempting to control her new psychic abilities and resolve a mystery that has long plagued her family. She’s got a lot on her plate.

“Wednesday” premieres on Netflix later this year.