Striking writers are calling out Jenna Ortega following her ‘Wednesday’ comments

5 May, 2023

Jenna Ortega

A handful of writers who are currently partaking in the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in Hollywood have called out Wednesday star Jenna Ortega for her comments on rewriting the hit Netflix show’s script.

In March, Ortega – who starred as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton’s Netflix series – shared that she had gotten involved with the script’s writing while on set for the show, at times even butting heads with the script supervisor because she felt “very, very protective” of her character.

“There was times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional, in a sense, where I just started changing lines. The script supervisor thought that I was going with something, and then I would have to sit down with the writers and they would be like, ‘Wait, what happened to the scene?’ And I would to have to go through and explain why I couldn’t do certain things,” she said at the time.

Now, with writers on strike over pay, manpower and AI tech disputes, several strikers are taking shots at the actor, with BoJack Horseman writer Nick Adams writing on Twitter: “Jenna Ortega better be back from [New York] for her afternoon shift on the picket line”. The Bear writer added: “Rewriting is writing! See you at the line, Jenna!”

Images of a picket sign reading “Without writers, Jenna Ortega will have nothing to punch up!” have also been circulating online.

The WGA strike was officially announced on Monday (May 1), and took effect on May 2, marking the first strike in Hollywood since 2007. The strike came after six weeks of failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Following the confirmation of the strike – Hollywood’s first in 15 years – WGA uploaded a document outlining the differences between proposals made by the writers’ union and offers from the AMPTP that have led to the strike.

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