NEWSJenna Ortega Sparks Backlash After Admitting She Filmed Dance Scene From Netflix's 'Wednesday' While Exhibiting COVID-19 Symptoms
Dec. 6 2022, Published 11:30 p.m. ET
While Jenna Ortega was filming Netflix's hit show Wednesday, she came to set while she wasn't feeling well, which didn't sit well with others.
In an interview, the 20-year-old star revealed her iconic dance was "her first day with COVID so it was awful to film."
"I woke up and – it’s weird, I never get sick and when I do it’s not very bad – I had the body aches. I felt like I’d been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus," she explained of her symptoms.
The You alum said she was given "medicine between takes" while waiting for the results of her COVID-19 test. (She later tested positive.)
"I asked to redo it but we didn’t have time. I think I probably could have done it a bit better."
After Ortega's remarks went viral, people slammed the actress for not thinking about others while on the TV set. One person wrote, "It was dangerous, unethical, and extremely selfish thing to do, both on her part, and on the part of the directors and producers. There's absolutely no positive way to spin an actress knowingly exposing hundreds of cast members and crew to COVID," while another added, "It's horrible. Absolutely callous disregard for her coworkers."
- 'Wednesday' Actress Christina Ricci Praises 'Amazing' Costar Jenna Ortega Despite Young Star Coming To Set With COVID-19
- Ellen DeGeneres Is Back! Watch Her First Monologue Since Contracting COVID & Fighting Off Massive 'Back Pain'
- COVID Drama: Whoopi Goldberg Hits Back at Criticism She Wore a Mask Indoors While Battling Illness
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
A third person fumed, "Jenna Ortega having COVID on set and working unmasked around other unmasked performers is not a flex. She should not be praised for working while sick. The above the line crew could’ve possibly disabled or killed someone for their irresponsibility."
Powered by RedCircle
Despite the haters weighing in, Wednesday has become one of Netflix's most popular shows, and Ortega shared what she loves about the series.
“I feel like [Wednesday and I] like similar things already,” Ortega said of her character's fashion sense. “I’ve always loved button-ups and white collars. It’s something that I’ve always gravitated towards. I love dark colors.”
“It really pains me to wear color sometimes but I do it because I feel like I have to. See I’m not as confident in myself as Wednesday is,” she added.
