All We Know About Netflix's 'Wednesday' Backlash And The COVID Dance Scene

Netflix's Wednesday stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán and Emma Myers in key characters.

Backlash Over Netflix's Wednesday And The COVID Dance Scene | What We Know

(Image Courtesy: Twitter; Altered by The Quint)

Netflix's new comedy series, Wednesday, continues to dominate social media and top charts. Based on the 1991 cult classic film, Addams Family, the Tim Burton directorial skyrocketed to fame, since its release on 23 November.

But, what's this dance scene everyone's talking about?

Episode 4 of the show titled Woe What A Night grabbed the most eyeballs. Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) was shown attending Nevermore Academy’s annual Rave’N dance, where she performs the now-famous dance routine to The Cramps' song, Goo Goo Muck.

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Why is it being called the 'COVID Dance Scene'? In a recent interview with NME, Ortega spoke about the dance scene in depth. Apart from revealing that the routine was self-choreographed, she also shared that she was down with COVID while filming the scene.

"It’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film...I woke up and I had the body aches. I felt like I’d been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus. They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result".

JENNA ORTEGA

The Scream actor added, "I’d gotten the song about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could...I asked to redo it (after recovering) but we didn’t have time. I think I probably could have done it a bit better."

What did the showrunners say? MGM, the production house behind Wednesday, clarified to NME that “strict COVID protocols were followed and once the positive test was confirmed, production removed Jenna (Ortega) from set”.

Why the backlash? As soon as the interview hit YouTube, netizens started criticizing the production company for not only making Ortega work when she was sick but also exposing the entire cast and crew to COVID, while she was awaiting her result.

A Twitter user wrote, "this is a bad thing right? we all agree that this is not some "persevering through hardship" moment, its a why the f*ck didn't she get sent home, she could get horrendously sick or infect others kinda moment".

Ortega's revelation also sparked debates about the rigorous hustle culture in American industries, with one Twitter user writing, "America has an obsession with grind culture and always sees people risking their lives and others for the sake of a job as "inspirational".

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Not the first time facing backlash: Before netizens pointed out how unethical and irresponsible it was to make Ortega film the scene while she was showing COVID symptoms, Wednesday's showrunners were being called out for racist casting choices. Tim Burton, a revered director with a jarring track record of racist comments, was being called out for casting the few Black actors in the show as villains or bullies.

Even though Burton has yet to comment on any of the controversies courted by the show, his body of work shows a pattern of similar casting choices. He has even spoken about the lack of diversity in his films, boldly stating that characters of colour are "uncalled for" in his narratives.

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