Jenna Ortega Once Told To ‘Shut Up’ and Do Her Job, Now Joins Writers’ Room for ‘Wednesday’

Soon after revealing she’d be returning to “Wednesday” as both an actress and executive producer, Jenna Ortega has shared she’ll be spending more time in the writers’ room, too.

Ortega publicly criticized certain aspects of the show already. For one, saying she insisted on having more creative control over the character. She commented specifically on the love triangle subplot, which, to her, “made no sense.”

Now, she’ll be able to nip ideas like that in the bud before they make it into any final drafts.

Jenna Ortega isn’t mincing words for “Wednesday”

In a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she said, “I really put my foot down and made it clear that everything that I had to say mattered and was heard.”

Her comments echoed a previous statement made on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on ‘Wednesday,'” she said.

Earlier this year, Ortega said Wednesday would be “off of boys for a while.”

The artist’s criticism of the love triangle subplot elicited mixed reviews from viewers. Some praised her for speaking her mind, while others said it wasn’t her place to make those kinds of decisions. But that was not the first time Ortega faced criticism for speaking her mind.

During the roundtable interview, the actress opened up about prior experiences. She said producers told her she didn’t know what she was talking about. Apparently, some people even told her to “Shut up and do your job.”

For “Wednesday” she’ll be in the writers’ room

However, Ortega implies that the “Wednesday” crew really took suggestions to heart. Saying, “Any of the best teams or environments that I’ve been on on set have been people who are very collaborative and wanted to hear different opinions because it’s very easy for people to get caught up in their own.”

Additionally, Ortega thanked director Tim Burton for giving her the freedom to collaborate with him on the character from the very beginning. For season two, however, Ortega says she will be “in the [writers’] room early next season and be talking about scripts and giving notes.”

It started back in season one, Ortega explained. “[Tim] pulled me in his trailer one day and said that he wanted to be a soundboard for my voice,” she said. “So, every day, me, him, the writers, we’d get together in the morning and go through sides.”

However, the actress didn’t spend enough time in the writers’ room to make major changes to her character arc. As a producer and co-writer on the second season, that’s all about to change.