How would you summarize your experience of working on the second season?
Tim Burton: For me, it was enjoyable just because I love the cast. It was a very strong group of people, and having the opportunity to work with some new cast members this season, it’s a mixture of something beautiful about the old, and beautiful about the new.
Season 1 was so well-received. What do you think keeps drawing people to the character of Wednesday Addams?
Burton: I’m surprised if it’s a success or a failure. So either way I’m always surprised. But the thing that drew me to Wednesday was the character herself. Wednesday just really spoke to me. I share her worldview, I share her outlook on society, parents, and school. When I read the initial script, it spoke to me. That made me really want to do this project. For me, the draw is a character who I really identify with. She is who she is and that’s why she’s such a strange character. She’s very much herself and a unique individual.
Without giving anything away, how has Wednesday changed in Season 2?
Burton: I’ve never done something where it’s one year then the next. Wednesday’s a funny character because she’s very strong in who she is. Her level of growth is perhaps not immediately known to the visible eye. She is very specific, and she doesn’t move much. The key element is keeping her true to herself while encountering new people, new situations. She’s still going to school — not her favorite thing, which I could relate to. She’s such a strong character that we try to find new nuances, but within a limited bandwidth. The show has always been about the characters at the heart of it and who Wednesday is. No matter what gets a little bit bigger this season, all those elements remain the same.
We have a new principal at Nevermore Academy. How is Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) different from Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie)?
Burton: I worked with Steve Buscemi many, many years ago, and I always wanted to again. It was such a pleasure to work with him on this because he brought something different. Weems was very much about trying to fit into things. Every new principal brings in their own agenda. They bring in their own kind of “Nevermore forever” attitude. It was really fun to watch him and work in a form that’s different from a film.
Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) has joined Wednesday at Nevermore. Tell us about that storyline and what it’s like for Wednesday to have her family so close to her.
Burton: Well, your family at school is the worst thing possible, isn’t it? I never wanted my parents to come to school. Wednesday is an even more extreme version of that. But they’re there. Poor Pugsley. He’s kind of an outcast among outcasts, so I feel for him. He comes into Nevermore for the first time, so we get to see his beautiful experience at school. Everybody has their own specialty power, and he’s new to his own. He’s just exploring his newfound teenage powers.
This season focuses a lot more on the Addams family. What can we expect from their storylines?
Burton: One of the most interesting things about Wednesday is the Addams family mythology. We’ve grounded that element of the story so that we could identify real family issues that happen in real life. Past iterations can skew more cartoony, and we’re bringing it back to real emotions, real feelings, real family issues. Obviously there’s the classic mother-daughter issue between Wednesday and her mother, Morticia, but we added to that this season by introducing Morticia’s mother and their dynamic. As we all know, at Christmastime when you bring the family together, that’s when the nightmare begins. That was fun to play with, and having Joanna Lumley as Morticia’s mother just made it extra special. The dynamics between mothers and daughters over two generations were very interesting to explore. Kids always forget that their parents are actually human beings. What kids don’t often realize is that people change and evolve. And this idea of the whole Addams family being drawn back to school at this point in their lives is interesting, and it causes friction. This show is visually heightened, but at the heart of it are very real family dynamics. Each episode has a slightly different vibe to it, but ultimately, this season is about family — and not just the Addams family. Family weaves quite heavily into this season.
What is it that you really enjoy about the Wednesday character, and working with Jenna Ortega?
Burton: When I first read the character of Wednesday, I fell in love with the story and it spoke to me. But that’s one part. The second part of it is, “Who’s going to play this character?” It’s not easy. There’s got to be somebody who has it in their heart and soul, and that’s what we felt with Jenna. There was no question about it. That’s who the character is, and she brings so much to it. She’s a real equal part of and partner in this process. She’s smart, she’s easy and fun to work with, and she knows her character.
We see much more of Morticia this season. What does Catherine Zeta-Jones bring to this role?
Burton: Catherine is such an amazing actor, and she brings a sense of reality and humor to Morticia. Catherine has a family. She knows what she’s talking about. She feels it. It’s important to have somebody in this role who really understands the family dynamics and gets the humor of it.
And Luis Guzmán as Gomez?
Burton: What I love about Luis is that he brings out the weirdness of Gomez. You don’t know if he is an evil business man or a serial killer. Is he all of the above? I don’t know. And Luis brings that. I just love the juxtaposition of Morticia and Gomez. They’re such a beautiful odd couple.
Pugsley gets his own expanded storyline this season. What do you find compelling about his character?
Burton: Isaac Ordonez has done a really beautiful job of capturing the path of being Pugsley. There’s something about Pugsley where Wednesday wants to bury him alive, but there’s also something about him that you feel for. I particularly liked him this season.
Tell us about Grandmama, a new character this season played by Joanna Lumley.
Burton: We needed somebody who had a really strong vibe. Joanna has that, just when she walks into a room. I worked with her briefly on an animated project, but working with her this time, it was really special. Certain actors can come onto a set and all of a sudden the crew and everybody just get an energy because they bring something so strong to the table. That was a new element this year that made it very special.
Principal Dort is another new character this season played by Steve Buscemi.
Burton: Steve brought a new energy to this season. He’s somebody who walks onto the set and you can see that there are more people on set that day — cast, crew, everybody. You can just sense when people love watching somebody work and respect somebody’s work. Same for me. I really enjoyed every day because it was fun and it was creative.
How are the artistry and craft across the show elevated this season?
Burton: Our production designer from last season, Mark Scruton, is back for this season. We just connected and I felt like he really got it. It’s a lot of work, and it’s a little bit different. Last season we filmed in Romania. This year we shot in Ireland. Through a combination of sets and locations, we’ve given it that kind of off-kilter, Addams vibe. The look and the feel of this is, like in all the things I do, an important element in telling the story and what it’s about.
What was it like to film in Ireland?
Burton: It was good. It was just an easy place to work — the people, the technicians, everybody was really good.
