Jenna Ortega has received mountains of praise for her portrayal of the lead role in Tim Burton's modern take on The Addams Family for his Netflix series Wednesday.
The series - which adds a fresh perspective on the fictional gothic Addams family - focuses on the family's eldest daughter, Wednesday Addams, and her experience at a boarding school for misfits.
Throughout the series, Wednesday learns to harness her psychic abilities while also trying to solve a decades-long murder mystery involving her parents Gomez and Morticia Addams. At the same time, Wednesday seemingly becomes enmeshed in a growing love triangle, something Ortega has since spoken out about.
In a recent interview with Etalk, the 20-year-old actress spoke out about the one aspect of the storyline she had a hard time agreeing with.
"I told them very early on that I didn't want her to be in the middle of a love triangle," Ortega stated in the interview. "I've always been against the love triangle idea. As far as the boys went, I had to accept it - but honestly, I'm going to fight this love triangle thing so hard. Because I don't think Wednesday would ever be in a love triangle."
Throughout the series, Wednesday struggles with her feelings of affection towards Xavier and Hunter - two boys who both show an interest in the moody teen.
The actress - who has spoken proudly of her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage - revealed that she had actually addressed the love triangle issue with scriptwriters early on in the production process.
"I talked to the writers about this and they said 'don't worry, don't worry, it's not gonna be that,'" Ortega said. She then highlighted the need for movies and TV series to depict more platonic male/female relationships, adding: "I think there's an opportunity there for a really sweet, platonic relationship because I don't think it's shown enough, men and women having safe, platonic relationships that don't become romantic."
"Almost sibling-like relationships, I think that would be really wonderful to see between her and Xavier. Honestly, I think boys are probably the last thing on Wednesday's mind," she continued.
Ortega has received widespread praise for her titular role in the series - which also stars Gwendoline Christie, Christina Ricci, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. In fact, the young actress was so dedicated to her role as Wednesday that she insisted her character not blink, as previously reported.
"She doesn't blink," Ortega said. "[Burton] likes it when I tilt my chin down and look through my eyebrows, kind of like a Kubrick stare, and then I relax all the muscles in my face."
This small detail didn't go unnoticed by netizens, who have celebrated Ortega's talent. "Jenna ortega was born to be wednesday addams. sheesh," someone tweeted.
Burton himself has since applauded Ortega on her depiction of Wednesday, stating: "Jenna's one of the most talented people I've worked with.
"She's like a silent movie actress in the sense that she's able to convey things without words. Her words are very strong, and she's got a very strong point of view, but to show the subtleties underneath that was very, very exciting."
