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

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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.

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.

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.

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

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.

"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.

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

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.

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.

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."

“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.

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.

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

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.