Jenna Ortega mastered the Bach cello suites for her role in the popular Netflix show, 'Wednesday'

Jenna Ortega stars as Wednesday Addams in Tim Burton's latest Netflix series. However, there's debate about whether she plays the cello in the series, and which song Wednesday performs on it.

, and ASMedia

2025 August 31 . 2:14 PM

2 min read

Jenna Ortega mastered Bach's cello suites for the popular Netflix show titled 'Wednesday'

Jenna Ortega mastered the Bach cello suites for her role in the popular Netflix show, 'Wednesday'

In the highly acclaimed Netflix series Wednesday, Jenna Ortega's portrayal of the iconic character goes beyond the screen. Ortega, who plays the troubled daughter of the Addams family, has taken her role to new heights by learning to play the cello for the series.

Ortega's dedication to her craft is evident in her cello practice, which involved taking lessons twice a week for two months before filming began. Her hard work paid off, as she delivers impressive cello performances in several crucial scenes.

One of the most notable performances is her rendition of "Dance of the Knights" by Prokofiev in Season 2, a piece that has been praised by professional cellists and commentators for its haunting and convincing nature. Videos and reactions from these experts emphasize that Ortega's performance matches the soundtrack in tone and movement, reflecting genuine cello technique rather than just an actor pretending to play.

Ortega's cello performances in Wednesday are not the ones heard on the series' soundtrack. Instead, they are her own, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the cello scenes. For instance, Wednesday plays a dramatic and electrifying version of the third movement of 'Winter' from Vivaldi's Four Seasons at a town fair, and an arrangement for cello of The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It, Black' on the balcony of her dorm.

Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed some interesting details in Ortega's performances. In 'Paint It, Black', there's a section where Ortega continues bowing as the cello in the soundtrack uses percussive techniques, showcasing her commitment to the role. For the rest of the film, Ortega's hand movements across the fingerboard are accurate, and her bowing pattern is spot on with the music.

The series Wednesday also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams and Christina Ricci, who previously played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film The Addams Family. The musician credited on IMDb for Wednesday's "cello solos" is Ölveti Mátyás, a Hungarian cellist.

In addition to her impressive cello skills, Ortega has expressed her interest in composing ambient music and releasing "neo-composing albums". However, no information has been provided about any compositions by Ortega being used in the series Wednesday.

Wednesday has set a new record for Netflix, earning the highest number of viewing hours in one week for an English-language series, further solidifying Ortega's impact on the series and her character's popularity. It remains to be seen if there will be more cello performances from Ortega in Season 2 of the series.

[1] Source: Professional cellist's tweet showcasing Ortega's cello practice (link provided in bullet point 2) [4] Source: Professional cellist's reaction to Ortega's cello performance in Wednesday (link provided in bullet point 5) [5] Source: Another professional cellist's reaction to Ortega's cello performance in Wednesday (link provided in bullet point 5)