Wednesday star Jenna Ortega admits that Victor Dorobantu's hand acting as Thing actually brought her to tears in one particularly moving scene. Released last November on Netflix, Wednesday features Ortega as the titular member of the Addams family as she solves mysteries and taps into her psychic ability at Nevermore Academy. Accompanying Ortega's character on her misadventures are several supporting characters, including Thing, a severed hand who can move around and emote.
In a recent appearance on "Hot Ones" from the First We Feast YouTube channel, Ortega reveals that Dorbantu's hand acting on Wednesday did genuinely make her cry.
Instead of using CGI to create the mischievous appendage, Thing is brought to life by Dorobantu, a Romanian magician, whose body is then removed in post-production. Check out Ortega's full comment below regarding her emotional filming experience:
“It was actually that operating room scene where, they weren’t on him, but they were shooting my coverage and its the first and only time Wednesday cries. And I went to reach my hand out to him and he pet my hand, he was like comforting me. And I actually started crying. I restarted the line because it actually made me sad and we just laughed and that was a real bonding moment for Victor and I.”
Why Jenna Ortega Is The Perfect Wednesday
After appearing in the likes of 2022's Scream and X, Ortega was very much a star on the rise, particularly in projects with a morbid edge. The actor, who can effortlessly capture Wednesday's tough exterior and dark humor, is a perfect choice for the role. However, it's not just Ortega's ability to tap into the mysterious and ruthless parts of Wednesday that make her great for the part.
The key to crafting any strong protagonist is making sure that the audience can empathize with them and their struggles. If Wednesday had been more one-note in presentation, the Netflix show surely wouldn't have become the massive worldwide hit that it has. Ortega infuses Wednesday with a sense of vulnerability and a subtle undercurrent of emotion that ultimately helps the character feel true to life, at least in some ways.
As Ortega's story makes clear, one of the keys to bringing out this emotion and vulnerability is the connections she makes with those around her. Thing and Enid (Emma Myers), among other characters, help to flesh Wednesday out and humanize her, and Ortega's performance manages to perfectly balance the protagonist's morbid exterior with these more human connections. Thankfully, Wednesday has already been renewed for season 2, meaning more of Ortega's behind-the-scenes hand-acting stories may be on the way.
Source: First We Feast