Emma Myers, star of Netflix’s “Wednesday” on giving: “It heals the world”

Long before Emma Myers starred in Netflix’s wildly popular “Wednesday,” she walked around her neighborhood collecting money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

The 20-year-old actor and model thinks she was 9 or 10 when she made the rounds asking for donations to help kids with cancer. Myers also remembers participating in fundraisers for St. Jude at her local community theater. Her family members are long-time supporters of St. Jude.

“It’s a really great cause,” Myers said. “What they do for those children is so incredible.”

On Nov. 29, “Giving Tuesday,” Myers partnered with Claire’s to support St. Jude, posting on her Instagram account, where her number of followers has skyrocketed to 9.2 million following the success of “Wednesday.”

“I love the support that @clairesstores is showing for their cause. If you can, head to my story and donate to help change some lives for the better!” Myers wrote. 

Claire’s, a global brand for self-expression that creates fashionable jewelry and accessories, has raised more than $14 million for St. Jude since 2011.

Myers marveled at the efforts of St. Jude around the world, especially in war-torn Ukraine where St. Jude worked with long-standing global partners to help evacuate 1,100 children with cancer to safety. “That just blows my mind,” Myers said.

She hopes to raise awareness of St. Jude and that her fans will become fans of the lifesaving work at St. Jude.

“I like helping in any way I can,” Myers said.

Young people can help

Her character in “Wednesday” is like that, too. Myers plays the colorful and perpetually perky Enid Sinclair, the roommate of the dark and chronically morose Wednesday Addams at Nevermore Academy, a magical school for outcasts.

Enid is a werewolf, though a late bloomer, having yet to fully transform. She feels disconnected from her community, a misfit. Wednesday helps Enid accept herself as she is.

It’s a message Myers hopes young fans take to heart. Be true to yourself. Embrace what makes you different.

She’s a bit of a misfit herself, a self-described nerd who was home-schooled. She watched “Star Wars,” read “Lord of the Rings” and played puzzle-type games like “Ace Detective” and “Professor Layton” on the family computer. She sometimes got made fun of when she wore T-shirts featuring her favorite emo and alternative bands. 

“I didn’t change. I was like, ‘Who cares if you don’t like what I like?’ I’m going to like it anyway,” Myers said. “Who cares what other people think? Just like what you like.”

Claire’s, too, focuses on self-expression and embracing yourself, using the catchphrase “Be the Most.” 

Claire’s customers donate to St. Jude at the register every holiday season as part of the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign. Claire's also supports St. Jude through donations of makeup, jewelry and accessories to patients to help them celebrate special occasions.

It’s a way young people can help, Myers said. Sometimes, when things are wrong in the world, young people can feel helpless to do anything about it.

“People try to deter you by saying you’re too young or you won’t really make a difference or whatever. Don’t listen to anybody,” Myers said. “If you feel compelled to do something, do it.”

If they can’t donate, they can talk about the causes that are important to them and post on social media. “A little thing goes a long way,” Myers said.

She thinks young people can learn a lot from giving. 

“I think that it just helps you have compassion for others,” Myers said. “If you are serving others and donating and taking your time out of your day to help somebody else, it sounds cheesy, but it heals the world.”

Visit the Claire's St. Jude landing page here.