Jenna Ortega Met With New Criticism for Being Called “Toxic” and “Entitled” on Wednesday Set

After speaking about changes she made to the Wednesday script, Jenna Ortega was called out for being “toxic” and “entitled” by Steven DeKnight, who later apologized.

Ortega recently spoke to Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast. During their conversation, the actress admitted acting “almost unprofessional” on set for Wednesday, demanding script changes to make more sense for her character. Days later, writer and producer Steven DeKnight took to Twitter in responding to Ortega’s comments.

This kind of statement is beyond entitled and toxic. I love her work, but life’s too short to deal with people like this in the business.

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 7, 2023

After being attacked for his comments, DeKnight ‘apologized’ by clarifying the point he meant to get across, which he felt many people missed. He never worked with Ortega, nor on the set of Wednesday. DeKnight claims his response to Ortega was referencing etiquette in Hollywood/show business in general. He notes that Ortega is an “amazing talent,” and that his opinion does not reflect her skill.

As a writer, This found a professional actor’s remarks trashing her showrunners because of their writing offensive and egregious. And I’ve said multiple times that she’s young and hopefully she learns from her mistake. But she’s also a seasoned pro who should know better. https://t.co/NP68svtqv3

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 13, 2023

Absolutely! Again, I can’t stress this enough: She’s an amazing talent. It was just an unfortunate situation to expose creative differences publicly, and also I’ll admit that writers are on edge because of the impending strike, myself included. A perfect storm. https://t.co/hQw6qBseIn

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 15, 2023

DeKnight is not taking issue with the fact that Ortega suggested and made changes to Wednesday‘s script, but with the way that the star recounted these experiences so bluntly, publicly, and perhaps rudely. DeKnight is firm in stating that trust between all workers on a set is vital to a positive work environment and that if writers and producers had spoken similarly about Ortega’s acting, it would be just as wrong.

That has never been the point of what I’m saying. Any of her criticisms may have been valid and she absolutely should have brought them up with the showrunners. That’s how the process works. But what you don’t do is badmouth your writers in an interview. https://t.co/ZxTFX2gA7x

— Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 13, 2023

While some agree with DeKnight’s take, others are criticizing him right back. Coming to Ortega’s defense, people claim that there is nothing wrong with what she does on set. On top of that, jabs at DeKnight are coming in the form of stating that Ortega is superior. And DeKnight using words like “toxic” and “entitled” is arguably harsh and unforgiving of the actress.

I like Steven DeKnight’s work, but his take on Jenna Ortega is wack. She’s not toxic. She’s standing up for her art and her character. Holding writers accountable for inconsistency and shitty work isn’t unprofessional. It’s the opposite.

— Brett Perry (@sincitybrett) March 16, 2023

Maybe DeKnight is the one that needs to go. A 20 year old ingénue is better at his job than he is.@stevendeknight #netflix #wednesday #JennaOrtega

— Kierstin Schmidt (@KierstinSchmidt) March 21, 2023

Again, however, DeKnight is not doubting Ortega’s skill. He is not saying that she shouldn’t vocalize changes that she thinks will enhance the series. Most of his disagreement comes from how Ortega expressed her experience on the podcast. All of that said, DeKnight has never worked with the actress and does not know what conversations took place on the Wednesday set.

Ortega and DeKnight each could have worded their comments differently, and it seems that both of their intentions are getting lost in translation. Ortega has not acknowledged DeKnight’s comments.