Does Jenna Ortega play the cello?

Last Modified Jun 8, 2023 17:43 GMT
Source: Screengrab from the series Wednesday


Jenna Ortega can play the cello and took cello lessons twice a week for two months prior to the series' production. She was, however, most likely dubbed for the cello scenes.


"I probably couldn’t play too well now," she said. "It is something that I want to continue to pursue.” “I have immense respect for anybody who plays the cello.” “I think it’s such a delightful instrument."


The newest season of Netflix's "Wednesday" broke all previous records for viewing time. The new show takes the top spot from "Stranger Things" and "The Crown." The troubled daughter of the Addams family, Wednesday, played by Jenna Ortega, is the subject of the eight-part television series. In several scenes, her character can be seen playing the cello fairly skillfully.


The character Wednesday Addams from Charles Addams is the inspiration for "Wednesday," an American coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror streaming television series. Jenna Ortega plays the title role in this Alfred Gough and Miles Millar production. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Fred Armisen, and Christina Ricci portray supporting roles.


Tim Burton, who also serves as executive producer, directed four of the eight episodes. Wednesday Addams is the main character, and she tries to solve a monster mystery at her school.


Who is Jenna Ortega?


The American actress Jenna Marie Ortega was born on September 27, 2002. She started out as a child actor, winning praise for her portrayal of young Jane in the comedy-drama series "Jane the Virgin" on The CW (2014–2019). Her role as Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel series "Stuck in the Middle" (2016–2018), for which she received an Imagen Award, served as her big break. She portrayed Ellie Alves in the second season of the Netflix original thriller "You" in 2019 and starred in the family movie "Yes Day" (2021).


Source: Official Instagram Account of Jenna Ortega


After receiving positive reviews for her work in the teen drama "The Fallout" in 2021, Ortega went on to star in the slasher movies "X" and "Scream" in 2022, solidifying her reputation as a scream queen. In the Netflix horror comedy series "Wednesday" (2022), in which she played Wednesday Addams, she was nominated for a Golden Globe.


Ortega played the title character of Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy-horror series Wednesday (2022), which she described as a "new chapter" in her career. She went through "the most physical transformation I've ever had; I cut my hair, and it's black; and mannerism-wise, speaking cadence-wise, and expression-wise" to get ready. Numerous critics praised Ortega's performance in the series, with some claiming it was the best iteration of the character yet. She received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress—Television Series, Musical, or Comedy.


Later, however, Ortega referred to the creation of season one as "the most overwhelming job" she had ever undertaken and talked about how the series' and the characters' direction had kept her in a constant state of confusion and stress. She was also displeased with the way her character was written. Ortega contends that a character like Wednesday Addams shouldn't be miswritten or, more crucially, misunderstood by the audience. Thus, Ortega will executive produce Wednesday's second season, which should air in the middle to end of 2024.


Does Jenna Ortega take lessons for cello?


Even though there wasn't much time between getting the role of Wednesday and filming the show, Jenna Ortega picked up the basics of the cello quickly enough to at least give the character an accurate representation of the instrument.


Source: Screengrab from the series Wednesday


In an "Auto-Complete Interview" with Wired posted on YouTube, Ortega claims that she started cello lessons about two months before "Wednesday's" filming. Since the airing of the show, she has also provided a sneak preview of what her training was like on social media.


What were the songs Wednesday plays on cello?


Throughout the course of the series, Wednesday makes a few cello appearances, starting with a montage in episode 1 that highlights her proficiency with the instrument while playing "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones.


In episode three, Wednesday performs with the Jericho High School band during the performance of "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac as Mayor Walker unveils the new Crackstone statue in the town square. Vivaldi's "Winter" is being played by Wednesday as the rest of the town scatters just as the statue starts to burn.


Later in the series, Wednesday starts playing more classical music. Wednesday is seen practicing the cello in episode 6 while performing Elgar's "Cello Concerto in E Minor." These meta-diegetic musical moments in "Wednesday" on Netflix both pay homage to the musical elements of earlier adaptations of The Addams Family and elevate the season one soundtrack.


What was Wednesday's mistake while playing cello?


However, eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the score displayed in front of Wednesday in the episode one cello montage is actually Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, which Ortega actually learned to play for the scene, rather than the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" score.


Source: Official Instagram Account of Netflix’s Wednesday


Furthermore, the cello strings must be plucking rather than bowing in order to play the staccato notes in the "Paint It Black" cover that is laid over the soundtrack for the montage sequence. Although Ortega is not at fault for the inconsistencies between the visual imagery and the soundtrack, they should not be ignored for a production of the caliber of Tim Burton's and Netflix's.



FAQs

Yes, Jenna Ortega actually plays the cello; she took lessons for it, for her portrayal on Netflix's Wednesday.

The net worth of Jenna Ortega is estimated to be $5 million as of June 2023.

The score played in episode one cello montage is actually Bach's Cello Suite No. 1, not the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" score. 

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