Jenna Ortega claims to have had COVID while filming ‘Wednesday’ dance scene
The actress said she shot the scene while awaiting her COVID test results, which subsequently proved to be positive.
Jenna Ortega has become an internet sensation thanks to Netflix’s “Wednesday,” which has already become the streaming giant’s third most-watched English-language series of all time after only two weeks. A scene in which Ortega’s Wednesday performs a wild dance set to The Cramps’ 1981 single “Goo Goo Muck” helped boost the show’s popularity. Ortega’s dance scene has taken on a life of its own on social media platforms such as TikTok, but it was also filmed while she was battling COVID-19.
Jenna Ortega awoke with cold symptoms resembling COVID on the day she filmed the now-iconic dance scene on Netflix’s Wednesday. She took a test and then shot the dance she choreographed herself while waiting for the results.
“I’d gotten the song about a week before and I just pulled from whatever I could…it’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film,” Ortega revealed during a recent NME interview. “Yeah, I woke up and – it’s weird, I never get sick and when I do it’s not very bad – I had the body aches.”
The actress stated that she awoke with body aches, which she rarely experiences, even when she is unwell.
“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,” she continued. “They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result.”
MGM, the production company behind Wednesday, told the publication that “strict standards were followed” after Ortega’s test came up positive, adding that “after the positive test was confirmed, production withdrew Jenna from set.”
Ortega choreographed the dance scene herself. The actor’s COVID revelation has led many viewers to criticize the production for allowing Ortega on set when she was showing COVID symptoms, even if she didn’t have a positive COVID test at the time.
When Ortega recovered, she asked if she could recreate the sequence, but the production schedule didn’t allow for it. “I think I could have done it a little better,” she continued.
The actress stated that she received the song for the dance scene, The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck,” a week before filming and choreographed it herself.
“I’m not a dancer,” she admitted, “which I’m sure is evident.”
Even with COVID, Ortega performed an unforgettable performance that has gone viral on social media. The dancing scene has gone so widespread that The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” has increased its Spotify streams by 9.5% since the release of “Wednesday.” The combination of Ortega’s “Wednesday” dancing moves with Lady Gaga’s song “Bloody Mary” has also become a viral TikTok meme, increasing Spotify streams by more than 1,800% over the previous month.
“Wednesday” is now available on Netflix.