Family reunion
New Netflix series Wednesday marks the return of the Addams Family. Danielle de Wolfe learns more from castmates Gwendoline Christie and Jenny Ortega...
The Addams Family has been described as many things over the years – creepy, kooky, mysterious, 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 – crafting cult films including The Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands – the opportunity to create a TV spin-off, centred around the eldest child of this decidedly dark brood, presented itself as something of a gift.
“I feel like Wednesday. I’ve felt like Wednesday since I was a teenager,” said Tim during a recent European fan screening of the series. And it’s that very sense of empathy for the outsider that Tim brings to the table as part of his new Netflix endeavour, Wednesday.
A star-studded tale, it sees The Darling Buds Of May and Chicago actor Catherine Zeta-jones return to our screens, this time as Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams.
Complete with gaunt complexion and silky smooth raven tresses, the Academy Awardwinning actress is joined by Luis Guzman, who stars as on-screen husband, Gomez Addams.
Expanding our knowledge of the Addams Family, Wednesday charts the eldest Addams’ journey as a student at Nevermore Academy. honing her emerging psychic abilities, this mystical tale and its decidedly muted colour palette bare 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, Gwendoline 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 Star Wars and Game Of Thrones actor, who goes on to describe the development of her “hitchcock style” character.
“I do love playing those characters that tend to acutely
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“I knew this would be something very, 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 – some people say I have been typecast in this role.”
Created by cartoonist Charles Addam, The Addams Family started life in a 1938 edition of American magazine 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’ – is one that has stood the test of time. It’s 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”, Jenna, 20, says audiences can expect a “different take” on the classic pigtailed child from yesteryear.
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Noting the marked similarities between herself and her on-screen character, it becomes apparent that deadpan delivery ranks among Jenna’s many skills.
“I think we have similar interests,” she says. “I think that we like mutilation. I think that we’re dry and sarcastic. I think that, um, we’re both a bit socially awkward at times. So I think that it was cool. I kind of put bits of myself in there.”
Describing Wednesday as having a “cartoonish quality”, Jenna says it’s the family’s unwavering ownership of their unconventional ways that have seen audiences embrace them for decades.
“They’re bold, they’re confident and they love one another. They’re kind of the healthiest family in America. I think there’s something that’s very attractive about that,” says Jenna.
Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in 1991 film The Addams Family and 1993’s Addams Family Values, also appears in this new series, this time stepping into the role of Ms Marilyn Thornhill.
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They’re kind of the healthiest family in America
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