Did You Know Thing from ‘Wednesday’ Is Played By a Real Actor?
Dec 7, 2022 • Meryl Medel
Dec 7, 2022 • Meryl Medel
It’s been a couple of weeks after Wednesday had its global premiere, and the show is still the talk of the town. In fact, it still holds the No. 1 spot in Netflix’s Top 10 TV Shows in the Philippines. It’s no wonder, because Wednesday’s deadpan stare, colorful vocabulary, sharp-as-knives wit, and perfectly awkward interactions make her all the charming. If you can’t get enough of the dark, woeful teenage girl and her unlikely friends, here are some fun about Wednesday trivia that might tide you over til Netflix confirms a second season.
Contrary to what most people might think, the Addams family’s disembodied hand pet Thing was NOT shot using computer-generated imagery. The hand was played by a real person, professional illusionist Victor Dorobantu. He was on-site filming with the rest of the actors, just wearing a blue body suit. Some of the sets were made so that the actor could hide behind walls and under tables and floors to get the perfect shot. So when you see Wednesday talking to Thing, she’s really talking to the hand of an actual person.
absolutely obsessed that this is how they filmed thing in wednesday on netflix pic.twitter.com/MFjdF5FK9J
— Nora Dominick (@noradominick) November 26, 2022
Yes, that now infamous dance scene was choreographed by the actress herself. According to her, she drew inspiration from Siouxsie Sioux, Bob Fosse’s Rich Man’s Frug, Lisa Loring, Lene Lovich, Denis Lavant, and 1980s goths dancing in clubs.
The cast of Wednesday reacts to *that* dance scene — which @jennaortega choreographed herself! pic.twitter.com/ljos7uWMj8
— Netflix (@netflix) November 25, 2022
And apparently, Jenna was actually sick when she was filming this important scene. “It’s crazy because it was my first day with COVID so it was awful to film,” the actress told NME. She added that she actually wanted to redo the dance, but they were already a little behind schedule, so they stuck with that take.
The actress has been so dedicated to the role that she took so many lessons, including cello, fencing, archery, canoeing, and German language. She started learning cello two months before filming.
Cello practice for Wednesday pic.twitter.com/RTksviNccT
— Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega) February 1, 2022
Yes, her deadpan stare where she doesn’t ever blink was a deliberate choice. “At some point during the first couple weeks of shooting, I did a take where I did not blink at all,” Jenna shared. “And Tim [Burton] said, ‘I don’t want you to blink anymore.’”
After trying one take where she didn’t blink, Tim Burton was so enamored with the result he told Jenna Ortega not to blink anymore when playing Wednesday. So she didn’t. pic.twitter.com/h5Ver9oozC
— Netflix (@netflix) November 28, 2022
Well, the no-blinking rule was mostly when she’s on cam. Jenna said she “learned to blink on other people’s lines.” It’s a bodily impulse after all. “I think I got annoying about it on set, to be honest,” she added, “cause I would have to restart a take if I started [to blink].”
Before Wednesday, director Tim Burton was previously attached to the 1991 Addams Family film, but it didn’t push through due to scheduling conflicts. In 2010, his name was once again attached to an Addams Family project, this time a 3D stop motion animation adaptation. However, the project was ultimately scrapped. And now, in 2022, at the third chance, Tim Burton finally gets to work on an Addams Family project.
It’s really really hard not to love Tim Burton and Danny Elfman ♥️🎃 pic.twitter.com/wpsFP7A3nM
— Hollywood Horror Museum (@horrormuseum) November 29, 2022
Emma Myers, who plays Wednesday’s roommate Enid Sinclair, attended a werewolf bootcamp to prepare for the role. It’s as weird as it sounds because the actress said the bootcamp “had me crawling on the floor with the stunt guys around me. Emma added that it “was definitely very interesting. The fantasy aspect of this role was my favorite because I’m such a big fan, and I’ve never gotten to do that before. This was really something special.”
emma myers as enid sinclair pic.twitter.com/bHM1AIlWc5
— daily emma myers (@ememyersdaily) December 6, 2022
The actress played a younger version of Wednesday in The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values in the 1990s. But despite playing the same character and starring in a new project together, Jenna said she made it a point not to discuss the character of Wednesday Addams with the older actress. Christina had nothing but praises for Jenna’s performance.
“I didn’t want to pull up something that she did 30 years ago.” Jenna Ortega purposely didn’t consult Christina Ricci about her character in #WednesdayNetflix https://t.co/W4IWMZ8uQy pic.twitter.com/2pQq0XEoBi
— Decider (@decider) November 28, 2022
While Season 1 was just released, the creators of Wednesday are already looking far ahead. One of the series creators, Miles Millar, said he would like to explore more of Wednesday’s awkward interactions with her same-age peers. “The series is really about a girl who sees the world in black and white, and learning there are shades of gray,” Millar said. “I think like any relationship or any friendship, it can get complicated by other factors. It’s never going to be smooth sailing. And it’s really her learning to navigate the ups and downs of friendship.”
the way wednesday steps forward to let morticia touch her and looks everywhere but at her mother to avoid eye contact like she’s shy pls she’s so cute 😭 pic.twitter.com/3JMmB0r38M
— ☾ wenclair’s #1 believer ✹ (@thinkingofjenna) November 29, 2022
Talking about the rest of the Addams family, Millar said he also wants to explore more of them. “We felt like we just touched the surface with those characters and the actors are so amazing in those roles. Catherine is, I think, an iconic Morticia. The relationship between Wednesday and Morticia is also essential to the show, and the idea that Wednesday is trying to forge her own path outside the family is so important.”
Seems like Season 2 is a go after Wednesday successfully took over the record as most-watched series previously held by the latest season of Stranger Things. We hope to hear some good news, Netflix!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube for the l8est entertaining, useful, and informative lists!
Input your search keywords and press Enter.