Wednesday, Tim Burton’s new series for Netflix, is just about ready for release, and in recent months, the excitement has been building up. Based on the classic Addams Family, the series follows the Addams’ famous daughter, Wednesday, as she navigates student life in the Nevermore Academy. She also turns out to be quite a sleuth as Wednesday is determined to solve a mystery that
Much to everyone’s delight, Addams Family star Christina Ricci signed on to the series, though it’s Jenna Ortega taking on the lead role this time around. And while the project may seem like a trip down memory lane for fans, Ricci revealed that it wasn't necessarily like that.
For Christina Ricci, Wednesday Was The Perfect Role To Play As A Young Actress
As a child star, Ricci starred in several well-known films such as Casper, Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm, and Now and Then. But for the actress, nothing compared to playing Wednesday Addams at that time.
“I loved playing Wednesday because nobody ever told me to smile bigger, or to do it again but with more enthusiasm,” Ricci explained. “I never had to pretend in the way that I had to at other times when I was a child.”
The actress nabbed the role when she was just 11. And although she was still young, Ricci readily recognized a character who didn’t have to pretend to be like anyone else, and that made the role all the more fulfilling.
“The thing about Wednesday that people love so much is that she is someone who is completely allowed by her family to be 100 percent herself,” she continued. “To play somebody who doesn’t have to please others felt great.”
Christina Ricci Was ‘Honored’ To Be Asked To Join Wednesday
Years after playing Wednesday, Ricci had moved on from the whole Addams Family universe. But then, Burton himself got in touch with the star, and just like that, she’s back.
“It's Tim Burton, I was so honored to be asked by him because he is just, you know, a genius,” the actress said.
“And then also to be a part to be asked to be a part of the new version of this thing that is a huge part of my identity and my history in my life. I mean, I know they didn't do it out of the goodness of their hearts, but I was really touched by it, and I felt like it was very nice.”
At the same time, after all these years, Ricci still feels connected to the franchise. “Well, it's, I mean, you know, it's such a fun world. And, you know, it's sort of I've always viewed myself as a kind of a natural contrarian,” she said.
“And so being in a world where everybody's just like thrilled to be doing the wrong thing. It's just great for me, I love it. So that is what that world represents a lot for me emotionally.”
On the show, Ricci plays a mysterious character named Marilyn Thornhill whom Wednesday encounters at Nevermore Academy (the trailer showed one of their scenes together).
While further details about her are being kept under wraps, Ricci did tease that she is “outrageous and fun and different than anything I've done, and it was really great.”
Despite Playing Wednesday Before, The Series ‘Didn’t Feel Like Something Familiar’
And while Ricci isn’t new to the Addams Family universe, working on Tim Burton’s series felt like an entirely new project, nonetheless.
“The worlds that Tim creates are so beautiful and grandiose and amazing,” the actress said. “It also didn’t really feel like I was revisiting the Addams Family world that I was originally a part of—this is a brand-new version of it. So, in many ways it didn’t feel like something familiar, and that’s great too.”
Ricci also has a lot of praise for Ortega’s new take on the character. “When I saw pictures of you, I was like, ‘Oh, wow. It’s such a great, modern interpretation,’” the actress told her co-star.
“It’s true to the spirit of the character. I didn’t originate this character, so I’m always like, ‘She’s a cartoon and a TV show. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s the same idea. We keep redoing the thing.’”
And while it may still be too soon to tell if the streamer will renew this series for a second season, it seems that Ricci would agree to return so long as she gets to keep working with Burton.
“I always felt like working with him, I would literally do anything he told me to because you assume it’s the right thing to do. There’s so much trust because he respects and trusts you,” the actress remarked. “Of course, he’s Tim Burton and everything he does is magic gold dust.”
Netflix’s Wednesday premieres on November 23, 2022.