Introduction to Wednesday’s World
Jenna Ortega has described the sudden fame that came with starring in Netflix’s hit show Wednesday as "very overwhelming". The first season of the show about the deadpan daughter of the Addams family became Netflix’s most popular English-language series of all time after its release in 2022. The 22-year-old Ortega told the BBC that she was "very grateful and glad that it was able to resonate". But asked if she was ready for the series’ attention, she replied: "Is anyone? No, I wasn’t. I wouldn’t want to know anyone who is. I don’t think so [experience]".
The Second Season: A Deeper Dive
The second season of Tim Burton’s show, which is published next week, follows Wednesday Addams as she returns to Nevermore Academy, which is now under the leadership of a new headmaster. It also looks at a greater role for Wednesday’s parents, who will be more present on the school campus, which Netflix said is "a rare new form of torture for a violently independent amateur-sleuth". The greater importance for father and mother Gomez and Morticia Addams offers the show the opportunity to explore the family dynamics deeper than in the first season.
Family Dynamics and Relationships
Ortega emphasizes the complex dynamic between Wednesday and Morticia, which is played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, and says she is looking forward to seeing the audience "more" of the Welsh actress, which she describes as "delicious, divine presence". "It is very typical for mother and daughter to push heads," notes Ortega, "and the daughter who wants to be her own person and has the feeling that she may not be given the space that she deserves or must be in her own. But also the mother’s desire to take care of her children and be protected and not want to deal with the same difficulties that you may have confronted in the past. Reading the scripts is completely applicable to my experience as a teenager and now".
New Additions to the Cast
The new season features an increased focus on Morticia and Gomez Addams, the parents of Wednesday, and introduces new characters, including Joanna Lumley as Grandmama, Steve Buscemi as Bartholomew, and Billie Piper as Head of Music Isadora Capri. Ortega plays a few different muscles for the upcoming second season by also acting as an executive producer, what she says, "was a great training for me… I tried to soak as much as possible".
The Impact of Social Media on Community
Ortega suggests that one of the reasons why the show has come so far is that they examine topics of "where we now find our sense of community". "I wasn’t there in the 1970s, but I hear stories of people who knock on the doors of their neighbors, and the bicycles all over the city, and only expect to meet someone at a certain time to meet someone." In contrast to the dependence on smartphones today, this is stated. "People don’t talk to each other personally. They interact and find their community online, which can be very insulating. There are also so many voices and so many opinions that they are exposed to, much more than they would normally do, or that people should somehow be exposed".
The Addams Family: Embracing Individuality
According to Zeta-Jones, the Addams family are exactly because "we hug our idiosyncrasies" and add: "It is okay to be different, we do not try to box them, to hide them as a family, we encourage it… It is the ultimate modern family". Ortega agrees: "There is great consolation when people who have themselves, free, free and priority, where it is important, and that is their family. It is now very easy to realize yourself in a kind of sheep mentality, and I think it is so important for young people to see this family more than ever".
Release Date
The first four episodes of the second season of Wednesday will be released on August 6th, with the remaining four released on September 3.
