Jenna Ortega had COVID-19 during viral 'Wednesday' dance scene, and netizens aren't happy
Jenna Ortega, the star of Netflix's coming-of-age supernatural horror comedy series Wednesday, has become an internet sensation especially because of her now-viral self-choreographed dance scene.
The 20-year-old actress, apparently, had COVID-19 while filming it.
In an interview with NME, Ortega said it was "crazy" and "awful" filming the dance scene because it was her first day of exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. At the time, her test results weren't out just yet.
“Yeah, I woke up and—it’s weird," she is quoted as saying. "I never get sick and when I do it’s not very bad—I had the body aches.
Ortega noted that she was given medicine between takes pending test results. "I asked to redo it but we didn’t have time," adding that she probably could have done the dance scene "a bit better."
MGM, the production company behind Wednesday, told NME that strict COVID protocols were followed during filming. Once Ortega's test results came back positive, MGM said she was removed from the set.
This didn't sit well with netizens, who shared their insights about the matter on Reddit on Dec. 6.
"It’s such a failure of those in charge and so disrespectful to anyone on set who is high risk or lives with someone who is," one user said.
"This is irresponsible practice for a production this large," another user said. "Anyone who is even remotely symptomatic is supposed to be kept off of set until the test returns with a result."
Another commenter, meanwhile, came to Ortega's defense. "Jenna as the employee is not responsible," noting the onus is on Netflix, the producers, and director Tim Burton.
The eight-episode Wednesday follows the eponymous teenager as she navigates a new high school called Nevermore—and the mysteries that come along with it.
In the fourth episode, Wednesday attends their school's version of prom, the Raven'N Dance. She hits the dance floor with eccentric yet electric moves set to Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps.
The particular scene has since become a hit. Netflix's Facebook upload on Nov. 25 after the series' Nov. 23 premiere got over 940,000 reactions. The streaming giant's second upload on Nov. 29 got over 1.5 million reactions, getting reposted across social media.
On TikTok, users pair Ortega's dance moves with Lady Gaga's Bloody Mary as a meme.