The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
BURTON ADDS HIS MAGIC TO ICONIC BROOD SPIN-OFF TALE
New Netflix series Wednesday marks the return of the Addams Family, reports Danielle de Wolfe
The Addams Family has been described as many things – creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky. A collective of outsiders, their unconventional approach to life has long resonated with master of the macabre Tim Burton. A director known for his dark and twisted tales, the opportunity to create a television spin-off centred around the eldest child of this decidedly dark brood presented itself as something of a gift.
“I feel like Wednesday. I have felt like Wednesday since I was a teenager,” said Burton recently.
It’s that sense of empathy for the outsider that he brings to his new Netflix endeavour. Expanding on the Addams Family, Wednesday charts the eldest Addams’ journey as a student at Nevermore Academy. Honing her emerging psychic abilities, this mystical tale bears all the hallmarks of a Tim Burton creation.
“It’s that amazing amalgamation between a highly developed, highly individual visual sensibility – a really unique aesthetic, which we, of course, now know is Burton-esque – but also Tim always identifies the humanity in a situation and the real humanity of the characters,” says actor Gwendoline Christie.
Starring as Principal Larissa Weems, Christie says her decision to join the project was something of a “no-brainer”.
“I’ve wanted to work with Tim Burton my entire life,” enthuses the 44-year-old. “I do love playing those characters that tend to acutely experience the darker side of life.
“I knew this would be something very special. Larissa Weems is a woman in a position of power and control. I love that she is the principal of a school for outcasts.”
Created by cartoonist Charles Addam, The Addams Family started life in a 1938 edition of The New Yorker. Rapidly growing in popularity, the haunting concept of a nuclear family living in a ghostly mansion transcended generations.
Subsequently developed into countless film and televisual offerings, the tale of Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday and Pugsley – alongside their strange Uncle Fester and wandering hand Thing – has stood the test of time.
It is a series which also sees You actor Jenna Ortega star as the show’s eponymous lead character, Wednesday Addams. A figure she describes as “unconventional”, Ortega, 20, says audiences can expect a “different take” on the classic pigtailed child from yesteryear.
Noting the marked similarities between herself and her on-screen character, it becomes apparent that deadpan delivery ranks among Ortega’s many skills.
“I think we have similar interests,” she says. “I think that we like mutilation. I think we’re dry and sarcastic. I think we’re both a bit socially awkward at times. So I think it was cool that I kind of put bits of myself in there.”
Describing Wednesday as having a “cartoonish quality”, Ortega says it is the family’s unwavering ownership of their unconventional ways that have seen audiences embrace them for decades.
“They are bold, they are confident and they love one another. They are kind of the healthiest family in America,” says Ortega.
A star-studded tale, Wednesday sees Catherine Zeta-jones return to our screens, this time as Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams. Complete with gaunt complexion and raven tresses, the Academy Awardwinning actress is joined by Luis Guzman as her husband, Gomez Addams.
Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday Addams in the 1991 film The Addams Family and 1993’s Addams Family Values, steps into the role of Marilyn Thornhill.
Stellar cast aside, this twisted tale of an alternative American family serves up a series that is refreshingly addictive.
Bold, unapologetic and effortlessly questioning archetypal characters, it’s a series that’s set to be embraced by a brand new generation.
“I think people are tired of judging tradition,” says Ortega. “Everyone wants to see people embrace their weirdness, and it be celebrated and praised.”
Co-star Emma Myers, 20, who plays fellow academy student Enid Sinclair, agrees. She says: “I resonate with Enid because she feels like an outsider in her own community. And, growing up, I felt the same way.”
Going on to describe Burton’s “playful” approach to filmmaking, Ortega says there was plenty of room for improvisation.
Christie adds: “It was very interesting to play someone that is focused on the greater good. But at times, you wonder, is it really about protecting the school, protecting those children? Or is it in service of her own ego?”
Wednesday is out on Netflix on November 23.