Everything was so beautiful: Jenna Ortega on filming Wednesday in Ireland
By Lynn Rusk, PA
Jenna Ortega has praised the kindness of the Irish people and the beauty of the landscape after filming the second season of the Netflix hit Wednesday in the country.
The 22-year-old American actress, who reprises her role as Wednesday Addams, the morbid, sharp-witted teenager with psychic powers, said she had never visited the island before working on the new season.
The new season sees Wednesday return to the halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await.
Directed once again by Tim Burton, the latest instalment of the gothic hit welcomes a number of new cast members to the team including Dame Joanna Lumley as Grandmama, Steve Buscemi as Barry Dort, the new principal of Nevermore, and Billie Piper as Isadora Capri, the school’s new head of music.
While the first season was filmed in Romania, the latest instalment of the popular series was shot in various locations around Wicklow, Dublin and Offaly.
“I’d never been to Ireland and it was wonderful,” said Ortega.
“My favourite thing was just how kind the people are, but also the countryside was really nice. I did my best to see as much of the island as I could while I was there. I went north, south, east, west, I went all over. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
According to Tourism Ireland, some of the locations used to shoot the new series include Charleville Castle in Co Offaly, Dean’s Grange Cemetery in Co Dublin and Ashford Studios in Co Wicklow.
Lumley, 79, said: “I was pretty thrilled, because having filmed there a few times, in Ardmore studios, I didn’t know there was a studio even further south of that, and then to come to Ashford Studios was marvellous.
“There’s something in Ireland which is slightly otherworldly and it embraced the whole feeling of Wednesday.”
Buscemi, 67, famous for his roles in Reservoir Dogs and The Sopranos, said he enjoyed the Guinness.
“I was surprised at how much Guinness I could actually drink every day, never while shooting,” he joked.
“It was so lovely shooting there. The people are amazing.”
Ortega added: “Everything about Ireland was so beautiful and we had such a hard-working crew, and people who really just gave it their all, and were so skilled.
“But the only real challenge we had was fighting the green. It was so green there and it was so bright for the show. Suddenly the Addams looked alive.”
Wednesday season two, which sees Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones continuing to play Morticia Addams, comes out on Netflix on August 6 with a first part and a second part coming on September 3.
Created by cartoonist Charles Addams, the macabre family have inspired a 1960s TV show, and 1990s films starring Anjelica Huston and Christina Ricci, who also appeared in Wednesday season one as a teacher.