CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
Jenna Ortega has opened up about Percy Hynes White being dropped from Wednesday season two amid allegations of sexual assault.
Ortega’s character Wednesday Addams was involved in a love triangle with White’s character Xavier Thorpe in season one. However, he has confirmed he won’t be returning for season two amid allegations of sexual assault that emerged last year, and his name was missing from the Netflix cast announcement.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Ortega admitted his exit from the show was “a weird direct, but we’re introducing so many different characters that I think it kind of will get lost”.
“[Wednesday’s] world does feel slightly askew anyway.”
Wednesday and Xavier’s story arc is now over. (Image: Netflix)
Back in June 2023, White broke his silence about the sexual assault allegations that surfaced in February 2023.
At the time, multiple accusers came forward on Twitter, claiming to know White during his high school years in Toronto, Canada. They alleged the incidents happened when he was aged between 17 and 20. User @milkievich posted a thread where she claimed White’s group of friends would “explicitly invite women they thought were hot” to parties so “they could get them drunk and high enough to have sex with them”.
Others soon came forward with stories of their own, which you can read here.
Whyte took to his Instagram Story to refute the allegations, calling it a “campaign of misinformation” and claimed the allegations had resulted in his family being doxxed and friends receiving death threats.
“Underage photos of me were used, and examples of me acting in character were presented as hateful. My friend Jane was falsely portrayed as a victim, and her attempts to set the record straight have been ignored. She gave me permission to include her in this message,” he said at the time.
“The rumours are false. I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust towards victims.”
Percy Hynes White’s statement about the allegations back in June 2023. (Image: Instagram @percy)
Ortega is now serving as a producer on Wednesday season two so her statement on White’s absence working for the show carries weight. Director Tim Burton has nothing but praise for her in the new role.
“She’s very direct. She’s very no-nonsense, and I find that very refreshing and beautiful and artistic… she could direct if she wanted to,” he told Vanity Fair.
“I saw from day one, she’s very aware. She’s more aware, sometimes, than I am.”
Jenna Ortega’s iconic dance scene wasn’t choreographed. (Image: Netflix)
The show was filmed in Dublin instead of Romania for season two, and the star was able to give her two cents on things like Wednesday’s cello pieces and prosthetics.
“Things like that, I live for,” she said. “With someone like Wednesday, who is in every scene, it only makes sense for that person to be that involved in what’s going on behind the scenes because she’s onscreen every second of the project.”
Jenna Ortega Responds To Co-Star Melissa Barrera’s Firing From Scream
In the same interview, Ortega also touched on her Scream co-star Melissa Barrera’s firing from the franchise, which came after the actor spoke up in support of Palestinians.
“The business that we work in is so touchy-feely. Everybody wants to be politically correct, but I feel like, in doing that, we lose a lot of our humanity and integrity, because it lacks honesty,” she told Vanity Fair.
“I wish that we had a better sense of conversation. Imagine if everyone could say what they felt and not be judged for it and, if anything, it sparked some sort of debate, not an argument. Am I describing world peace?”
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in the Scream franchise. (Image: Paramount)
After Barrera likened Gaza to a concentration camp on social media, the Scream VII production company released a statement, saying: “We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that fragrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
Ortega won’t be returning for Scream VII, but has not confirmed the exact reason why.
Wednesday Season 2 will likely drop on Netflix in 2025.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
Feature Image: Netflix
The post Jenna Ortega Addresses Percy Hynes White’s Axing From Wednesday S2 Amid Assault Allegations appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
