‘It just comes with the territory’: ‘Wednesday’ writers respond to Jenna Ortega’s script comments
Wednesday writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have broken their silence on the controversy surrounding Jenna Ortega’s script comments. Their candid response highlights the realities of being writers while confirming there’s no bad blood between them and Ortega.
In March 2023, Ortega made some controversial comments on Wednesday‘s season 1 script. She was trying to illustrate how protective she was of her character, Wednesday Addams, which occasionally put her at odds with the writers. According to her, she almost became “unprofessional” at times because she put her foot down and refused to say certain lines. However, instead of working with the writers through the differences, she said there were times that she just started “changing lines,” even leaving writers asking, “Wait, what happened to the scene?” Many found her comments controversial, as they felt both her words and purported actions on set were disrespectful to the show’s writers.
Her comments especially gained traction because the Writer’s Guild Strike broke out shortly after and raised awareness for the poor working conditions and lack of respect for Hollywood writers. Ortega later confirmed that her comments weren’t meant to be disrespectful, and she felt the way she worded her statement made it sound worse than it was. All she really meant to do was advocate for herself and her character. Now, Gough and Millar have provided further clarity on the situation.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar get candid on Jenna Ortega’s writing comments
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Wednesday writers Gough and Millar opened up about the comments. The pair didn’t downplay the controversial nature of the comments but also reiterated that they didn’t negatively impact their working relationship and admiration of Ortega. Gough admitted that the comments “weren’t pleasant,” although the reality of being a writer is that such criticism sometimes “comes with the territory,” especially when dealing with younger stars for whom fame is a learning process. Meanwhile, he felt the best response was to offer these stars grace while avoiding giving “oxygen” to the controversy. He stated:
That’s hard. We’ve done a few of these shows, like Smallville, which was a big hit out of the gate. Suddenly, you have these young stars in the spotlight. They’re going to misstep. They’re going to say things. I think you just have to give them grace and know that it happens. It’s never pleasant, but it just comes with the territory. I think we’re at the point now where the internet’s going to do what the internet’s going to do. What you don’t want to do is give these things oxygen.
Millar also clarified that they have a wonderful working relationship with Ortega, explaining that they always have “an incredibly collaborative and joyful experience” with her. In fact, they’ve expanded their working relationship now that she’s also a producer on Wednesday season 2. He stated, “We couldn’t be prouder of her work and we’ve embraced her as a producer on the show this year. She is one of the hardest working, most talented young actresses in the business.” Millar concluded that the picture the internet painted of the controversy wasn’t really their “reality.”
The pair had the perfect response to the controversy by acknowledging the struggles of Hollywood writers while still reiterating their admiration for Ortega. Ortega’s comments aren’t something the internet needs to be up in arms about, but they can still raise awareness of the importance of ensuring that writers are given due respect and credit. Talented actresses like Ortega should have a say in their projects and be recognized for their talent and passion while still making sure that the importance of writers isn’t downplayed. It’s fortunate that the comments have become a good learning opportunity and didn’t negatively impact Ortega’s working relationships.
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