The creepy, quirky, mysterious, and terrifying daughter of the Addams family is the focus of a new Netflix series premiering Wednesday.
In 1938, The New Yorker published a one-panel cartoon by Charles Addams featuring a tall, emaciated woman and a robust butler.
The graphic depicts a man attempting to sell the couple a vacuum cleaner for their creaky, dirty home.
It was the first appearance of the characters who would later become known as The Addams Family, a macabre and affluent family that delights in the unusual and whose members are distinguished by their different appearances and personalities.
They consist of the mustachioed father, Gomez, the matriarch, Morticia, the mischievous son, Pugsley, and the stoic daughter, Wednesday.
Additionally, there is a disembodied hand named Thing.
Since its debut in 1938, The Addams Family has appeared in at least five films, six television series, and specials, and is frequently cited as a significant influence on the goth subculture.
Wednesday, the newest series on Netflix, follows the protagonist as she enters a new school, with 20-year-old Jenna Ortega playing the title role. Ortega has joined a new breed of female horror stars in recent years, after appearing in the fifth Scream film and Ti West’s slasher series X.
She stated that she felt pressure taking on the part due to the widespread fondness for ’90s flicks.
“It is still how many people are introduced to The Addams Family, and it unquestionably shaped the character and everything that she is. I believe that people now anticipate something from her that was not before anticipated “She stated,
“I’ve never before portrayed a character that I grew up admiring as much as this one.
“Therefore, I believe that when you respect someone so much, you want to do the right thing for them and for everyone else who fell in love with her for a good reason.”
In the early 2010s, Tumblr was flooded with memes depicting Christina Ricci’s humorous performance as Wednesday Addams from the 1991 and 1993 films.
The cast was also so popular that they were invited to record additional lines of speech for a pinball machine based on the 1991 film, which, for trivia buffs, became the best-selling pinball game ever.
It was therefore an exciting moment when Ricci appeared on set, albeit he was portraying an entirely different role.
“Certainly, it was intriguing, especially because I am aware that people will instinctively make the connection. I believe what put me at ease was how cool, respectful, and gracious she was as an actress “Ortega added.
“I believe we got along really well. In addition, I find some solace in the fact that they exist in quite separate realms. They are two entirely distinct individuals.”
Tim Burton, one of The Addams Family’s executive producers and the director of the first four episodes of the series, has a style that complements The Addams Family’s heightened gothic tone.
Gwendoline Christie, who portrays Wednesday’s principal Larissa Weems, was excited to work with the acclaimed director.
“I’ve always wanted to work with Tim Burton, and I was a huge fan of his films as a child. I cherished them. They helped me feel like I had a place in the world by communicating with me.
“But also that there was someone else who saw the world as I did, a vision that was more stylized, often more beautiful, and certainly more sensitive to the darker components.”
Christie, a Game Of Thrones alumni, is no new to ensemble casts, but she has particularly high respect for castmate Ortega.
“She is an exceptional performer who has brought this character to life in an astonishing manner. She is very devoted to her work, and she is also an incredibly kind and divine person.”
