Jenna Ortega Discusses Cello Struggles in Tim Burton's Docuseries for 'Wednesday'
It's a juicy tidbit from the upcoming Tim Burton docuseries that's got folks chattering – our darling Jenna Ortega had a bloody nightmare learning to play the cello for her role as Wednesday in the Netflix series.
You see, the docuseries, unofficially nicknamed the 'Burton Biopic', premiered in summer 2024 with episode 1 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The series features interviews with some of Burton's closest collaborators, like Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Keaton, and, you guessed it, our girl Jenna Ortega herself.
The episodes take viewers on a journey through Burton's life, chronicling everything from his childhood to the release of his latest blockbuster, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Apart from Keaton's reprisal of the role as The Ghost with the Most, the cast includes Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, and Ortega as Deetz family members Lydia, Delia, and Astrid.
Before Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton first teamed up with Ortega in 2022 for the first season of the Addams Family spinoff series, Wednesday, in which Ortega steals the show as the titular character.
Now, let's talk about Ortega's cello struggles, shall we? Before the series premiered, Ortega had never played the cello before! You can imagine her terror when she was faced with the challenge of performing as an expert cellist for Wednesday during filming.
But fear not, dear reader, for Tim Burton's longtime music collaborator, Danny Elfman, came to the rescue! In a clip from the docuseries, Ortega praises Elfman's sharp precision and ability to help her learn the instrument remarkably well.
It was a herculean task indeed; the cello piece originally required two players, but Wednesday being the magical being she is, Ortega managed to pull it off with just one cello! No pressure, right?
During the filming, Ortega was naturally quite jittery about her cello performance. Burton, however, was confident she'd ace it and reassured her, "As long as your chin is down and you do what you're doing, you're all good."
And what a performance it was! In the series, Wednesday plays a beautifully haunting arrangement of The Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black." When filming the scene, the sheet music shown on set was none other than Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 – the piece Ortega actually played to bring Wednesday's cello solos to life.
Oh, and did you hear that Wednesdays Season 2 will have a slasher episode?! If that doesn't excite you, I don't know what will!
Now if only we could find out when Tim Burton's docuseries will hit our screens and when Jenna Ortega will return as Wednesday – can't get enough of that gothic goodness!
Jenna Ortega, who rose to fame as Wednesday in the Netflix series, suffered a learning curve when it came to playing the cello for her role. Due to the lack of experience, she was overwhelmed by the challenge of performing as an expert cellist for the character. However, Tim Burton's longtime music collaborator, Danny Elfman, came to her aid, helping Ortega to learn the instrument effectively for the series. In the docuseries about Tim Burton, Ortega praises Elfman's precise guidance during her cello training.
