Netflix spin-off Wednesday: Jenna Ortega slammed online for having COVID while filming an iconic dance scene

Jenna Ortega, the lead actress on Netflix’s new Addams Family spinoff Wednesday, has been heavily criticized online for continuing to film the show despite exhibiting COVID symptoms.

The 20-year-old admitted filming the now-iconic dance scene on the show made it “my first day with COVID” – despite not having a confirmed positive.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Wednesday Addams dance goes viral.

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In an interview to promote the series, Ortega looked back on filming the dance, which she choreographed herself, and admitted it was “terrible” filming it.

“I’m not a dancer and I’m sure that’s obvious. I had gotten the song (The Cramps’ 1981 single Goo Goo Muck) about a week earlier and just got out all I could… It’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was horrible to film.” she said to NME.

“Yes, I woke up and – it’s strange, I never get sick and when I do it’s not too bad – I had body aches.

“Felt like I had been hit by a car”

“I felt like I’d been hit by a car and a little goblin was let loose in my throat and scratched the walls of my esophagus,” she said.

“They gave me medication between takes because we were waiting for the positive result.”

The actress and production team have faced backlash online for continuing to film while “waiting” for the outcome.

“Yes, that is a very bad thing. It was dangerous, unethical and extremely selfish, both on their part and on the part of the directors and producers,” one tweet said.

“There is absolutely no positive way to shoot an actress knowingly exposing hundreds of cast and crew members to COVID.

“The moment she woke up and felt sick, she should have called her publicist and director and told them she was going to take a test and stay home until she got the results. PERIOD.”

“That’s because of the show’s producers, they should have stopped filming as soon as she had symptoms, not when the positive came back,” said a TikToker.

“That’s a very bad thing. It was a dangerous, unethical and extremely selfish thing to do, both on their part and on the part of the directors and producers,” said one commenter.

“Hundreds Exposed”

“So simple a thing has exposed hundreds of people on set to COVID – she’s number one on the call list that could have been avoided,” added another.

Production company MGM has since released a statement assuring that “strict COVID protocols were followed and Jenna was removed from production following confirmation of the positive test.”

Despite the setback, the eight-episode show broke Netflix records, amassing a whopping 341 million hours of viewership within five days of its global premiere on November 23.

The debut was so successful that the show dethroned Netflix’s crown jewel, Stranger Things, which racked up more than 335 million hours in its first week – even after its fan base had developed over four seasons.

Wednesday has also risen to number one in 93 countries including Australia, giving rise to the TikTok phenomenon of #WednesdayDance.

The series focuses on the Addams family’s daughter, Wednesday – played by Jenna Ortega – and her time at Nevermore Academy.

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