Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (2024)

6 December 2022, 13:12 | Updated: 19 April 2024, 09:51

Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (1)

Jenna Ortega and Wednesday cast react to her dance scene

Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (2)

By Sam Prance

"It’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film and I asked to redo it but we didn't have time."

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Netflix are facing backlash after Jenna Ortega revealed that she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's viral dance scene.

Ever since Wednesday debuted on Netflix last month (Nov 23), fans haven't been able to get enough of Wednesday's iconic dance scene in episode 4. Jenna Ortega's dance is so good that it's inspired a TikTok challenge and celebrities like North West and Kim Kardashian are doing it. It's also sending Lady Gaga's 2011 song 'Bloody Mary' up the charts.

However, in spite of all the praise, Netflix are coming under fire after Jenna said that she filmed the scene with coronavirus.

READ MORE: Jenna Ortega wishes Wednesday and Enid had ended up together

Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (5)

Speaking to NME about the scene, Jenna said: "It’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film and I asked to redo it but we didn't have time. I woke up and 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 oesophagus."

Jenna then explained: "They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result."

Following Jenna's quotes, people have taken to social media to question why Jenna was made to film the scene when she had coronavirus symptoms.

One person tweeted: "This is a bad thing right? We all agree that this is not some "persevering through hardship" moment, its a why the fuck didn't she get sent home, she could get horrendously sick or infect others kinda moment."

Another person wrote: "Disappointed to learn that Jenna Ortega had COVID symptoms on set but was still allowed to film the Wednesday dance scene while she waited for her positive test result. I wonder how many people got sick? And how many people those people got sick?"

like the details are that she was waiting for a test while filming and it did come back positive but SHE SHOULD HAVE STILL ISOLATED WHILE WAITING FOR A TEST, Tim Burtons fucking artistic vision aint worth dead people

— Lily Simpson is Emotionally Dead like Twltter (@LilySimpson1312) December 3, 2022

Disappointed to learn that Jenna Ortega had COVID symptoms on set but was still allowed to film the Wednesday dance scene while she waited for her positive test result. I wonder how many people got sick? And how many people those people got sick?

— Lola Méndez (@lolaannamendez) November 29, 2022

Everything wrong with America's reaction to Covid is encapsulated in people applauding Jenna Ortega for doing her Wednesday dance scene while she had Covid.

... she should have been masked and home.

— Hillary Monahan (@HillaryMonahan) December 5, 2022

they made jenna shoot wednesday while she had covid? what the hell 😭

— ❧ (@korydaya) November 29, 2022

she shouldve been isolated - not made to keep working while feeling ill. forcing jenna ortega to keep working and spreading covid around the set is so negligent of the producers and studio https://t.co/7RnqWgFpWS

— ᴊᴇʟᴀ (@jelevision) December 4, 2022

i feel so bad for jenna ortega i feel like she’s being so overworked especially with wednesday she said she was filming the dancing when she had covid and every time they cut she would take medicine like they couldn’t let her rest😭???

— ket 🎀 (@sourkettle) November 30, 2022

In response to the backlash, the production company behind Wednesday have shared a statement with NME. MGM state: "Strict COVID protocols were followed and once the positive test was confirmed production removed Jenna from set."

Read more Wednesday news here:

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Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (6)

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Jenna Ortega reveals she had COVID-19 while filming Wednesday's dance scene (2024)

FAQs

Did Jenna Ortega have COVID-19 during the dance scene? ›

Jenna Ortega is making headlines for the now-infamous viral dance number in her Netflix show Wednesday –– but it's not because of her stellar moves. The actress recently admitted to having COVID while filming the dance scene.

Why did Jenna Ortega regret the dance? ›

Some of the moves I had planned, some of it was improved. That was one of the scenes that I stay awake at night thinking about. There was so much I could have done and should have done. So, the fact that anyone has shown any appreciation or even tried it themselves is unfathomable to me.

Did Jenna Ortega improvise the dance scene? ›

Ortega states that some of the moves were planned, and some were improvised, which lends itself wonderfully to the impromptu feeling of the dance. The dancing moment was unplanned and unexpected, so the fact that the dance felt loose, improvised, and a little unhinged made perfect sense for the series.

Does Jenna Ortega have a dance background? ›

"I'm not a dancer. I don't do any of that. I have no experience in that field," she shared.

Did Jenna Ortega have COVID-19 while filming Wednesday? ›

While Jenna was unaware that she was COVID-positive at the time of filming, she shared that she had woken up with COVID-like symptoms that day and proceeded to take a test.

Why does Jenna Ortega blink? ›

"The thing about the blinking is I didn't realise I was doing it. It just kind of happened. Because every time we started a take, I would reset my face, drop all the muscles in my face and Tim really liked the Kubrick stare where I stared through my eyebrows," she continued. "It was just a bit intimidating.

What did Jenna Ortega refuse to say? ›

Fyi, the line Jenna refused to say was: “Oh my god, I'm freaking out over a dress. I literally hate myself.

Was Wednesday's dance improvised? ›

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the actress said: "Some of the moves I had planned, some of it was [improvised]. That was one of the scenes that I stay awake at night thinking about. "There was so much I could have done and should have done.

Why can t Jenna Ortega go on TikTok? ›

Jenna Ortega is one of TikTok's biggest stars. But you won't catch her using the app. Ahead of Tuesday's Golden Globe Awards, the 20-year-old actor revealed that she “can't be on” the Gen Z-facing platform and doesn't make a habit of scrolling through videos re-creating her viral “Wednesday” dance.

Did Jenna Ortega play the cello herself in Wednesday? ›

Audiences may be surprised to learn that Jenna Ortega does actually play the cello in Wednesday, despite having no prior experience with the instrument.

Did Jenna Ortega really choreograph the dance? ›

She didn't even use a choreographer, as she explained to Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" Friday. "I have no experience in that field (dancing)," she said, revealing that director Tim Burton was relying on her to come up with the moves on her own. "I didn't sleep for two days."

Is Jenna Ortega Mexican yes or no? ›

“As a child actor, there are two jobs that you can get: you're either the younger version of someone or you're playing somebody's daughter — and there were just not many leading Hispanic actors who I could be that for,” explained Ortega, who was born to parents of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent.

What languages can Jenna Ortega speak? ›

Did Jenna Ortega do the dance herself? ›

Burton spoke with her in her trailer two days before the shoot and, according to Ortega, said, "Hey Jenna, I know you said you wanted to choreograph this yourself because I refused to see a choreographer... I know you've got it, you've been working on it, I'm not even worried about it, I trust you.

Did Jenna Ortega have anxiety? ›

I myself have anxiety and have suffered with depression badly in the past.

What place did Jenna Johnson get on So You Think You Can Dance? ›

So You Think You Can Dance

She was paired with contemporary dancer Tucker Knox and made it to the top 8. Her specialty was Latin Ballroom. She was eliminated on August 20, 2013. In 2016, she was one of the mentors and choreographers on So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation.

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