'Wednesday' star Jenna Ortega talks new fencing scene, A-list cast and more
"We're still with the same cast, and there's a lot of new faces coming into play, because a lot of people [last season] had unfortunate endings," Ortega said with a laugh, speaking with "Good Morning America" on Monday about the new season. "It's just, like, darker, bigger, better. I think we had a lot more trust from Netflix this time around. We had such an incredible reaction to the first season that we just wanted to give them something good."
Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays the iconic Morticia Addams -- Ortega's onscreen mother -- is among the stars reprising their roles for season 2.
"She's one of the funniest people I have met. I don't think she gets enough credit for that. She's unbelievable," Ortega said. "If she's ever not funny, it's because she needs, like, a piece of chocolate."
The pair will face off in season 2 in a sword fight scene, which Ortega revealed "was one of my favorite things to come out of the show."
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"The fencing sequence where we just tried to end each other for a good, like, five minutes, it was such a dance that we had to do," she said.
Two more big names have added their star power to the cast sheet this season, with Steve Buscemi onboard as Principal Barry Dort and Christopher Lloyd, who famously played Uncle Fester in the 1991 "Addams Family" movie, joining as the longest-serving professor at Nevermore Academy.
Ortega said it was "unbelievable" working with both acting legends.
"Christopher Lloyd I'm still quite shocked by, I don't know how to process that, his history in film in general, but then also his relation to the Addams Family," she said. "Steve I've had the pleasure of working with twice now. He's just a cool -- he's a cool guy. I don't know how to say it. He's ... almost suave in a way -- very unassuming and normal, talented. He's such a pleasure."
Season 1 of the Netflix series -- from Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Tim Burton -- earned 12 Emmy Award nominations and four wins, building even more momentum ahead of the follow-up season with lots of fan reactions and buzz around the show.
"This character means a lot to me and I was very scared, I wanted to do her justice. It's really easy to fall on your face when there's so much expectation," Ortega said. "It's just been so beautiful to see the show resonate with so many people internationally, in a way none of us had anticipated -- we're very, very lucky."
As for why it's resonated with such a broad, international audience, Ortega posited that it's because so many can relate to the internal conflicts portrayed through Wednesday's lens.
"I think everybody feels a bit weird because we spend so much time in our heads. We're just talking to ourselves at the end of the day, so it's easy to single yourself out or to feel misunderstood," she explained. "Especially in young people -- like Wednesday has never been a teenager before, but that's a very transformative time in your life. You start to develop your own tastes and personality and interests. Anybody, whether they've been a teenager, are a teenager, are going to be a teenager, you see that, and you're expecting that and waiting for that. There's something beautiful in that discovery, I think."
The new season of Wednesday will be released in two parts on Netflix with Part 1 streaming Wednesday Aug. 6 and Part 2 streaming on Sept. 3.
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