How Old Is Netflix's Wednesday & Is Jenna Ortega The Same Age?
Though the popularity of "The Addams Family" has waned a bit since the release of the two Barry Sonnenfeld films in the early '90s, the franchise came roaring back with a megahit last year when Netflix dropped Season 1 of its spin-off series "Wednesday."
Aside from breaking all kinds of records in terms of viewership hours, "Wednesday" was also lauded for its performances, with Jenna Ortega, who plays the titular character, drawing particularly high praise for her fresh take on the character. All the same, given how close they appear to be in age, fans may be wondering whether Ortega herself could have attended Nevermore Academy herself in another life.
Despite her youthful looks, however, Ortega is actually a few years older than Wednesday Addams. The actor recently turned 21, and while the elder Addams child is never given an explicit age in the Netflix series, we can safely assume she's between the ages of 15 and 17, seeing as she appears to be in her second or third year of high school.
We could still see a few more years at Nevermore Academy
Though some actors have already aged out of realistically playing teenagers by the time they're even cast in teen dramas, Jenna Ortega's short stature and youthful appearance could allow her to convincingly portray Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series for several years to come, even if the show retains its Season 1 roots as a spooky high school murder mystery.
However, with Nevermore Academy destroyed at the end of Season 1 of "Wednesday," the series is also free to move on to a different storytelling approach altogether in Season 2 and beyond. Either way, after Ortega's dance moves in "Wednesday" went viral and with her star shining brighter than ever, there's no doubt that the actor will continue to headline the series.
Even if it's relatively up in the air as to when we'll start to see more information or a trailer concerning the plot of "Wednesday" Season 2, it's been confirmed by the showrunners that both the titular Addams child and her new BFF, Enid (Emma Myers), will be returning for the next installment, meaning fans can rest easy knowing they'll see more of Ortega in the central role, even if she is a little bit older than her television counterpart.