Filmmaker and TV producer Steven DeKnight slammed Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega, calling her “egocentric and toxic.”
The producer wrote on Twitter that Jenna “publicly shagged” the producers and writers of Netflix hit series The Addams Family.
Mr. DeKnight added that he loves Ms. Ortega’s work but that “life is too short to deal with people like that in the industry.”
She’s young, so she might not know any better (but she should). She should also ask herself how she would feel if the showrunners did an interview and talked about how difficult she is and refusing to perform the material.
—Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 7, 2023
He was smitten after the actress spoke with Dax Shepard on the podcast “Armchair Expert,” where she admitted she’d become “almost unprofessional” as she struggled with the material on the show.
Mr. DeKnight wrote in another widely shared tweet that Ortega should have addressed his concerns in a much more professional manner.
That kind of statement is more than valid and toxic. I love their work but life is too short to deal with people like this in the industry.
—Steven DeKnight (@stevendeknight) March 7, 2023
“She’s young so maybe she doesn’t know any better (but she should),” he wrote.
“She should also ask herself how she would feel if the show executives gave an interview and talked about her struggles and refused to do their job.”
On the podcast, Ms. Ortega said nothing about Wednesday’s character that “made sense to her.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to step on a set like I did on ‘Wednesday,'” she said.