TV&REVIEWS
Our pick of what to watch this week, plus the best podcasts and new books…
The Addams Family are creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, and they’re back in new spin-off Wednesday from director Tim Burton. Catherine Zeta-jones stars as Morticia, alongside Luis Guzmán as Gomez, in the eight-part series that centres on teenage daughter Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) as she becomes a student at the Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts and misfits. Here, the Welsh actress, 53, reveals more…
How would you describe Morticia?
She’s the matriarch of a very dysfunctional, but lovable and vibrant family. When you think of Morticia Addams – and this is across generations, from my young niece to my much older grandmother – you have an idea of who she is and even how she looks. She’s iconic.
How is this chapter in the Addams Family story different from what we’ve seen in the past? What I love about Tim Burton’s vision on everything he does is that there’s an honesty and truth about the characters.
That’s what makes them believable in worlds that are not so believable. Also, it’s contemporised an iconic family. It’s brought it into our times and it still works. This is a story for right now because it addresses issues that are happening right now.
What was it like to work with Tim Burton for the first time? When he called and asked me if I would consider being Morticia Addams, I just said, ‘When do I get on the plane?’ The fact that he wanted to bring me into his world was amazing, and working with him was something that I had always aspired to in my career. It’s been a joy.
What do you think viewers are going to love most about this show?
It has everything that you would imagine in a Tim Burton production. Usually you only get 90 minutes of it in a film, but you get more of it here because it’s streaming as a series on Netflix. It’s going to be a treat for Tim Burton and Addams Family fans alike!
✱ Wednesday is on Netflix