00:00I think for me it was a bit more personal just because I relate to Wednesday so much
00:04and I see a lot of myself in her.
00:06Jenna Ortega stars as the smart and sarcastic Wednesday Addams in the new Netflix series
00:11Wednesday.
00:12Ortega and the cast spoke to The Hollywood Reporter all about creating the highly anticipated
00:16mystery series, including what it was like working with co-creator and director Tim Burton,
00:21the show's enigmatic monster, and more.
00:23A mysterious monster lurks at the center of the new take on the beloved member of the
00:39Addams family.
00:40When you saw the final version of the monster in the series, were you surprised with how
00:45it looked?
00:46Was that what you were imagining or was it different?
00:48Definitely not what I was imagining, but in a good way.
00:52It is something that Tim actually drew himself.
00:54I like it because it's just weird.
00:58He's kind of like a weird little guy.
01:00It's not even scary.
01:01He's almost cute at times.
01:02But I think it's an interesting design and it's weird enough and kind of campy enough that
01:07it goes with the general mood of the show.
01:11Complete surprise.
01:11I was terrified.
01:13I was surprised.
01:14I was so happy because when I was reading the script, I was picturing one of those like
01:19all the movies nowadays, like whenever there's a monster, it's just this like faceless thing
01:25with like a million teeth.
01:26You know what I mean?
01:27Yeah.
01:28And this was like, it's like, feels like a Tim Burton drawing coming to life.
01:32Like this really creepy, like huge eye bulging like creature, you know?
01:37Nevermore continues to be a place where the questions far outweigh the answers.
01:40The series comes from the imagination of Burton, who the actors described as a collaborative
01:48director.
01:49You know, he would call me into his trailer in the mornings and we would go through the
01:53sides and he would say, what are you uncomfortable saying?
01:55What do you think is inaccurate or, you know, whatever?
01:58And what would you rather say?
02:00So we would do our own little mind tweaks in the morning or, you know, we would go and
02:03enter a room to block a scene and, oh, Jenna, what do you want to do?
02:07So I walk around and do the movements I want to do and then he looks to the crew and tells
02:10them, okay, you got that?
02:11Because that's what we're doing.
02:12You know, it was like, there was a lot of trust that he put in me.
02:15You know, you never know with someone like him who has such a background.
02:17So I have a lot of respect.
02:19It was really wonderful.
02:20Tim is one of my favorite directors I've ever worked with.
02:23He is so respectful.
02:25He is so considerate and kind and hilarious.
02:30He made everybody up their game.
02:32He made everybody concentrate more, push that bit further, look for something.
02:37And with Tim, there is always the other.
02:41And that's where the fascination lies, in the otherness.
02:45He's able to bring that to life and give it magic like nobody else.
02:50He's so collaborative.
02:51It was kind of shocking.
02:53I was nervous to work with him.
02:55Like, so much pressure when you're about to walk on set for the first time.
02:58But then he's the nicest guy in the world.
03:01It's kind of amazing to know that it's going to look and feel, like, astonishing.
03:05But he's just so easygoing with the whole process.
03:08So really a blessing.
03:09Yeah, if you had, like, an idea or anything, you could just go up and say,
03:13Hey, Tim, how about this?
03:14And you'd be like, yeah, that's good.
03:14That's good.
03:15I'd like that.
03:16Maybe I'll miss the time for a laugh, too.
03:17So would the cast say the series is creepy, kooky, mysterious, or spooky?
03:24Maybe mysterious, I would say, actually.
03:27Yeah.
03:27Probably spooky.
03:29Spooky.
03:31Because I know that's what Wednesday prefers.
03:34Wednesday hits Netflix on November 23rd.
03:36For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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