The most-loved goth family in pop culture has been resurrected to widespread critical acclaim in the Netflix sensation Wednesday. Unlike previous adaptations that were about the Addams Family themselves, Wednesday focuses on the adventures of their pigtailed deathtrap, Wednesday in her new school, Nevermore Academy.
One can’t help but be intrigued by her quirks — tossing flesh-eating piranhas into a pool to deal with bullies shows that Wednesday Addams is not to be trifled with! And she’s portrayed by the brilliant Jenna Ortega, who makes the seamless switch from screaming “help!” to being the stuff of nightmares.
So c’mon now, hop aboard the Addams limo, and let’s drive through the dreary gates of Nevermore to learn a thing or two about this wacky yet wonderful show. Here are 30 facts about Wednesday to keep you occupied until Season 2 drops…
30 Fun Facts About the Hit Netflix Show ‘Wednesday’
1. ‘Wednesday’ was Filmed in Dracula’s Country
This Netflix streaming success was filmed in Romania, where one of the most famous figures in pop culture, Dracula, hails from. Why? Probably because the country’s old-century castles and landscape perfectly provide those eerie vibes. Cantacuzino Castle was actually used for the exterior of Nevermore Academy!
Since vampires are among the outcast groups in Nevermore, the Count just might be an alumnus.
2. Emma Myers (aka Enid) Originally Auditioned to Play Wednesday
Emma Myers didn’t get to play Wednesday, as producers intended for a Latina actress to take on the role. She was instead cast as Enid, Wednesday’s bubbly bestie, whose rainbow-colored pedicure holds more menace than you think. In fact, the actress went to a “werewolf bootcamp” to learn how to embody her character.
Being on all fours and going feral for legitimate reasons must have been incredible fun.
3. Christina Ricci Wasn’t Going to Star on the Show
Christina Ricci is the original Wednesday Addams (having starred in the 90’s classics, The Addams Family and Addams Family Values), so anyone would think she was handpicked for the role of Marilyn Thornhill. Wrong! The dorm mom was originally played by Thora Birch, but her abrupt departure from the set opened the way for Christina, who had our jaws hitting the ground when her sinister identity was revealed.
Figures. A legacy wouldn’t grace the screen without being a weighty piece of the puzzle.
4. ‘Thing’ is Actually a Person
There are tons of fun facts about Wednesday for fans to chew on, especially this one: The stitched hand that rivals Chucky’s face belongs to Romanian magician Victor Dorobantu, who did all of the gestures. He wore a special body suit that enabled only the hand to be visible during editing. Interestingly, Thing from the 90’s films was also portrayed by a magician, and Victor rang him up for some counsel.
Perfectly normal thing to do, but someone else had a different perspective on the passing of torches…
5. Jenna and Christina Don’t Talk About Wednesday
With a ‘Wednesday’ legacy on set, it’s natural to seek advice on how to portray the formidable role best. However, Jenna kept mum on the subject with Christina. She explained to MTV News that she didn’t want to base her performance off of Christina’s experience; she wanted this Wednesday to be fresh and new: “I didn’t want to rip her off. And I didn’t want to be too much like her.”
Just shows Jenna was picture-perfect for the role. Here’s more evidence…
6. It Was Jenna’s Destiny to Play Wednesday
Not only did she made her mark in horror slashers like Insidious, X, and Scream; but Jenna Ortega also performed autopsies on dead lizards as a child. And if that isn’t Wednesday-enough for you, check this: Jenna was drenched in fake blood when she auditioned for the role. Having just come off the set of X in New Zealand, Jenna recalled the moment with Wired: “When I met with Tim Burton for Wednesday, I had stage blood and glycerin sweat in my hair and a massive cut on my face…”
A similar fate awaited her when she got the part…
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7. The Bloody Shower Scene was the Hardest to Shoot
The Carrie nod in Episode 4 involved multiple takes to get it right. The actors had to endure the crimson shower several times, and the hair and makeup department weren’t exactly grinning either. According to Wednesday’s head makeup and hair designer, Tara McDonald, they had to wipe off the liquid from the actors and redo their makeup and hair in the exact painstaking detail each time.
8. The Hyde Wasn’t All CGI
What’s one of the most surprising facts about Wednesday? The supernatural creature that terrorizes Nevermore is actually portrayed by a stuntman named Daniel Himschoot. In addition to CGI bodywear, he also wore a pair of clutches attached to his arms and stilettos —sorry, stilts— that were needed to bring life to the long-limbed town terror.
He must have looked comical, lumbering about in the getup, but I wouldn’t risk a laugh. I like my bowels intact.
9. Tim Burton Has Been Involved in the Project for Decades
In 1991, Tim Burton almost directed The Addams Family, but his dedication to Batman Returns didn’t spare him the extra time. He got another chance with a stop-motion animation in 2010, but that was soon cancelled. Finally, his dreams came true when he sat in the director’s chair on the set of Wednesday seven years later. It was his first time directing a television series.
10. The Show Pays Massive Tribute to Edgar Allen Poe
Wednesday is littered with references from the works of OG goth pioneer, Edgar Allen Poe: “Nevermore” is culled from one of his famous poems; there’s a statue of him in the Academy (perks of being the most famous alum); and the canoeing competition is named after him. Wednesday herself is also a mystery writer whose style is similar to that of the morbid English poet.
Birds of the same feather, those two.
11. Every Episode Title Contains the Word “Woe”
Props to the writing department for such brilliant punning. The pilot titled “Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe” is a clever foreboding of the titular character and the mystery she’s at the center of. Another marvelous naming is in the fourth episode (“Woe What a Night”), where she displays her kooky dance moves, her friend gets mauled by the Hyde, and everyone has a bloodbath.
Woe a night indeed!
12. Joy Sunday Accidentally Wore Her Siren Eyes Off Set
Joy Sunday, the actress who plays Wednesday’s archrival-turned-ally, Bianca, wears bright contact lenses to achieve the Siren persona. The unnatural look was so strange, people on set would stare at her, and one time, she forgot to take them out on her way home.
“Looking in the mirror versus seeing myself on screen is a little crazy,” she told Teen Vogue. ”It would be funny, meeting somebody for the first time on set, and they’d be like, ‘Why are you looking at me so strange?’ Because of the contacts. Then seeing it on screen? I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh… my eyes are sharper. There were a couple of times I forgot that I had the contacts in. There was one time I was halfway home before I noticed that I still had them in my eyes and had to turn around and return them to the set.”
Pretty sure those normies wouldn’t stare so much if they knew what those eyes could do.
13. There are Secret Shout-Outs to ‘The Addams Family’ Creator
Charles Addams was a goth cartoonist and his most famous comic was indeed ‘The Addams Family’. To honor his work, several Easter Eggs were placed in the show: The Addams’ limo license plate reads New Jersey, which is the cartoonist’s birthplace; Gomez’s prison uniform number in Episode 5 reflects his birthdate; and The Weathervane coffee shop shares its name with the high school where he first published cartoons of the bizarre family.
14. He Was Married to a Real-Life Morticia…Twice
Charles was said to be a ladies’ man, and he was married three times. His first wife looked a bit like the fictional smoke show, Morticia, but his second wife, Estella B. Barb, cranked up her diabolical traits. As a lawyer, she somehow manipulated Charles into giving her control of the legalities of his brainchild and got him to take out a six-figure life insurance policy. Two years later, she divorced him.
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15. Someone on Set Knew Him
Almost everyone involved in Wednesday has some connection to the lore, and in this case, it’s award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood. She’s collaborated with Burton on many projects, including Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands, but she must have dived into this one with glee and gusto, because her grandfather was pals with Charles.
16. The Show Made Gwendoline Christie Feel Beautiful
All 6’3 of the shape-shifting principal of Nevermore was styled in a retro aesthetic that was taken from Tippi Hedren’s character in The Birds. Gwendoline Christie expressed that it was the “first time” she “felt beautiful on screen.”
I couldn’t agree more, as the last time I saw her on TV, she was scruffy, armored, spilling guts with Oathkeeper, and taking names.
17. The Iconic Dance Was Supposed to be a Flash Mob
A what, now?
That was how the script read originally, but Jenna wasn’t having it. She felt that it wasn’t what Grim Reaper Barbie would do and asked for the scene to be cut or made more memorable: “I said, ‘Either cut it or have Wednesday knock someone out, and then it’s done,” the actress told the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast.
The script was then altered, and the result was a kooky gyration that racked up millions of impressions on TikTok. Bonus fun fact about Wednesday? Jenna choreographed that herself!
18. The Cast Were Deprived of Hot Baths
What’s the longest you’ve gone without a hot shower? The Wednesday cast members would say eight months — as this was how long they spent filming in Romania. According to Jenna, the boilers in their rooms were broken, and not much could be done, as some services were still shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oh and get this, they were filming in the winter. Brrrrr!
19. The Original Uncle Fester Will Return for Season 2
Christopher Lloyd, known for the Back to the Future trilogy and of course, for playing Uncle Fester in the 1990’s movie adaptation, will be appearing in the highly anticipated new season. It’s unclear what role he’ll have, but it definitely won’t be his former one. Fred Armisen shaved his head and called dibs on it first in Season One.
20. Season 2 Will Have a New Lurch
George Burca, the actor who played the Frankenstein-like butler, won’t be returning for Season 2. It’s likely we’ll meet a taller Lurch, as George was the least tallest of all the actors that ever played the role. There’s no word yet on his replacement, but the new butler will answer the question burning in our minds: are you Mrs. Weems or not?
P.S: Lurch’s eyes changed color in the last episode!
21. Uncle Fester is Getting a Spinoff
Wednesday’s bald uncle is getting his own screentime! The production is currently under wraps, and we already have a title: Fester is going to be streaming on Netflix, and is created by Al Gough and Miles Millar— with Tim Burton as director and executive producer.
More reason to flesh out this kooky Addams character — so excited!
22. Jenna Acquired a New Set of Skills for ‘Wednesday’
Being in the title role, no other cast member has worked as hard as Jenna. She had to learn German, fencing, and archery. Her cello scenes, which sent shivers down our spines, were the result of less than two months of training. It’s really impressive that she was able to shoulder such great responsibilities magnificently. No wonder Tim Burton called her one of the most talented actresses he’s ever worked with.
23. It’s the “Most Watched” Netflix Show
Move over, Stranger Things. There’s a creepier hit in town.
Wednesday broke records by amassing over 341 million hours watched in the first week of its release. Currently, it holds the title for the most watched Netflix show, with a staggering 252,100,000 views in the first 91 days of its release. Considering the ambiguous way it ended, there are no doubts that the next season will decimate these figures.
24. Jenna Ortega Didn’t Blink in Any of Her Scenes
Jenna doesn’t blink at all in the show. She unknowingly maintained a frozen stare one time, and it impressed Tim so much, that he added this nuance to her character. The winter in Romania was accompanied by winds, but hey, she learned an instrument, killer moves, and a new language, so this was probably cakewalk.
25. Wednesday’s Name has a Dark History
Charles Addams came up with his character’s name from the nursery rhyme, ‘Monday’s Child’ that includes the line, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.” He added more fright to her personality by giving her the middle name, Friday. Probably because Morticia had her on Friday the 13th.
26. Luiz Guzman Wasn’t Everyone’s Favorite
Mr. Addams was played by suave gents in previous adaptations, and so fans weren’t pleased with Guzman’s casting, as he was quite the opposite. Tim Burton chose him for the role because he fit perfectly with the original cartoon series’ depiction of Gomez. Luis may not fit the traditional definition of handsome, and his portrayal may be more sappy than smooth, but he was delightful to watch.
27. Jenna Had Covid While Filming
As she twisted bizarrely on the dance floor, the actress didn’t know she had Covid. “They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result,” she told NME. She soon received a positive test and production removed Jenna from set. Luckily, none of her cast mates or crew caught it, but this revelation earned the production serious backlash for not keeping to the CDC guidelines.
28. Friends Onscreen Turned Into Friends Offscreen
This fact about Wednesday will warm your dark little heart! Living and working together in a new country established special bonds among the cast, and created new friendships. Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers show theirs on social media, while Percy Hynes White and Ajax Petropolus actually became roommates when they got back to LA.
29. An Element in the 90’s Theme Song was Adopted
Here’s one of the coolest facts about Wednesday: Remember when she learned how to infiltrate the Nightshade Society in Episode 2? Yep, she had to snap her fingers twice to gain access. Well, this pays homage to the theme song of the 1977 Addams Family TV show.
You’ve got the tune in your head now, I know.
30. Season 2 Will Have a New Location
The second season of Wednesday is being filmed in Ireland, and it now sits atop the list of the largest productions to ever film in the country. Season 1 sent tourists thronging through the gates of Cantacuzino Castle in Romania, where it was filmed, so there’s no doubt this will bring more recognition to the Emerald Isle.
There you have it — 30 facts about Wednesday — what a killer ride! Good thing we weren’t bitten by fangs, mauled by furs, stilled by stoners, and lured to certain doom by Sirens.
We’ll visit again when there’s a new mystery to solve in Vermont. Till then, let’s make our way to Weathervane for some refreshments and hope the barista doesn’t peel the skin from our bodies.
Oh, and watch out for that gargoyle!
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