Popular actress Jenna Ortega has been “banned” from becoming Wednesday Addams in a startling turn of events.
Actress Jenna Ortega made a star turn in last year’s Wednesday on Netflix. Direct from the mind of visionary director Tim Burton, Wednesday centers on the classic Addams Family character, Wednesday Addams.
Ortega’s Wednesday has become one of the most popular shows in streaming history, having only the second-most amount of pre-release followers on the streaming service after Henry Cavill‘s The Witcher, eventually debuting at number one in 83 countries worldwide during its November 2022 release. It also surpassed Stranger Things as the most-watched show in its first week of release, with over 340 million hours watched.
Starring Ortega in the titular role, Wednesday also includes Gwendoline Christie (Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens) as Larissa Weems, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) as Morticia Addams, and Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) as Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates. In January 2023, Wednesday was renewed for a second season, but when work can begin on that sophomore outing is anyone’s guess, thanks to the current strike action sweeping the United States.
Since July 14, 2023, and after various talks, the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — or SAG-AFTRA — decided that strike action must take place to support the future of the entertainment industry. Focusing on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the industry, plus other factors like the world of streaming and residual payments, the SAG-AFTRA strike marks the first time since 1980 that both film and television actors have been on strike simultaneously.
The SAG-AFTRA strike came shortly after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also announced a strike, a strike that has since ended.
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After months of negotiating on behalf of actors and performers, SAG-AFTRA caused a commotion when they posted a specific set of guidelines when it came to actors dressing up as certain characters from struck work.
The original guidelines were released on Wednesday by SAG-AFTRA. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that “The union is prohibiting actors from dressing up as popular characters from struck content and then posting the images on social media.” Going on to add, “That means some of the most popular Halloween costumes this year — such as Barbie and Wednesday Addams — are not allowed.”
Essentially, this rule bans actors from becoming their characters for Halloween, and other characters, like those from Margot Robbie’s Barbie (2023), are also prohibited. Now, the union has clarified their comments with an update after various figures in Hollywood raised concern about SAG-AFTRA’s decision to focus efforts on Halloween costume guidelines over getting back to the negotiating table with the studios.
“SAG-AFTRA issued Halloween guidance in response to questions from content creators and members about how to support the strike during this festive season. This was meant to help them avoid promoting struck work, and it is the latest in a series of guidelines we have issued. It does not apply to anyone’s kids,” SAG-AFTRA wrote, per The Hollywood Reporter. The final comment acknowledges Deadpool franchise star Ryan Reynolds’ joke about calling his kids a “scab” for them dressing up in certain character costumes.
“We are on strike for important reasons and have been for nearly 100 days. Our number one priority remains getting the studios back to the negotiating table so we can get a fair deal for our members and finally put our industry back to work,” the statement concluded.
At present, there is no end in sight for the SAG-AFTRA negotiations with the studios, meaning shows like Wednesday will not yet return.
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As for Jenna Ortega, the Scream (2022) actress will also star in next year’s Beetlejuice 2 (2024) as Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Ryder) daughter, also from director Tim Burton. Over the last few weeks, anticipation for Beetlejuice 2 has risen, even going so far as to prove more popular than The Walt Disney Company’s next big blockbuster and live-action remake, Snow White (2024) starring Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes).
What do you think of these strict rules? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
