6 TV Shows Actors Wanted To Fail

If feels as though you currently can't swipe your phone or turn on a TV screen without seeing something to do with one of Netflix's latest coming-of-age show successes by the name of Wednesday and its front and centre star Jenna Ortega.

And that was clearly the kind of thing the leading actor herself was keen to avoid heading into the project that was partly directed by the great Tim Burton.

As Ortega would explain to The Times recently, she actually wasn't all that interested in playing the part of Wednesday Addams in this small-screen Addams Family adaptation, noting how she was somewhat fed up with TV and wanted to finally pursue her dreams of acting more on film. In her mind, appearing in a successful TV show could prevent Ortega from getting to dive into those other big-screen jobs she really wanted.

Burton's presence finally helped persuade the star to come aboard after hesitating a few more times about whether this was the move for her. And what do you know, Wednesday turned out to be a mega hit! Though this was something Ortega wasn't entirely over the moon about, confessing that she thought the series would simply act as a "little gem" that most people wouldn't actually discover.

But discover it they did. And then some.

And in case it wasn't clear how much Ortega was hoping the show wouldn't become yet another globally adored super-show of sorts, when asked by The Times if she would have preferred Wednesday to be more of a small gem than a mega hit, she simply gave a solid "yeah."

Ortega was evidently getting used to living a "normal life" again after her early Disney star fame had begun to settle down, but then Wednesday came along and threw her right back in the public eye.