Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton Open Up About ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 and Their Evolving Creative Bond
Back in Black: Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton Talk ‘Wednesday’ Season 2
For the first time together, Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton are sitting down to discuss what fans have been dying to know: the return of Wednesday for its highly anticipated second season. The scene is a stark New York City conference room—about as far from Nevermore Academy as you can imagine—and the vibe is decidedly off-brand for the duo. Still, they’re ready to talk, albeit with a few nervous “ums” and shared sidelong glances.She’s the Gen Z breakout star with a thousand-yard Wednesday Addams stare; he’s the gothic visionary with a shock of mad-genius hair. At first glance, they’re opposites, but by the end of the interview, it’s clear: Jenna Ortega and Tim Burton are creatively in sync.
Mutual Discomfort, Mutual Respect
“I don’t love doing press,” Ortega admits, fidgeting with her rings. Burton chimes in: “We both speak in ‘erms’ and ‘ums.’ That’s our language.”It’s not that they aren’t excited about Season 2 — they are. It’s just that selling a show doesn’t come naturally to either of them. Burton especially has seen the highs and lows of press tours over decades in the spotlight. Ortega, meanwhile, is navigating it all in real time, having catapulted into global fame after Wednesday Season 1 and her turn in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
A Creative Partnership That Clicks
What makes their dynamic work? Burton explains that Ortega is the kind of collaborator who doesn’t just play a role — she inhabits it, questions it, reshapes it. For Ortega, Burton gives her space to do so. Their creative process on Wednesday evolved quickly from director and actor to something closer to artistic co-conspirators.“Tim really listens,” Ortega says. “He lets me try weird things. And if they don’t work, he’s honest about it.”
Season 2 promises to deepen both the story and the stylized weirdness fans fell in love with. Without spoiling too much, both hint at more intense character arcs and “some darker directions.”
More Than Just a Goth Aesthetic
While Burton has become synonymous with gothic storytelling, he doesn’t claim the label. “The word ‘goth’ has lost its meaning,” he shrugs. “It’s not a style—it’s a feeling. A sensibility.”That sensibility runs deep through both Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, where Ortega once again worked under Burton’s direction. Their collaboration feels like a bridge between two generations — Burton’s long-standing outsider appeal and Ortega’s fresh, emotionally complex approach to character.
The New Era of Wednesday
Ortega confirms she’s more involved in Season 2 behind the scenes as well, taking on a producer role. “It’s important to me that Wednesday stays true to who she is,” she says. “I want her to evolve without losing what makes her iconic.”Their mutual commitment to authenticity, mood, and creative integrity is setting up Wednesday for not just another season, but what could be a defining second act.
