What’s wonderful for you about this show entering a second season?
Fred Armisen: What’s wonderful for me is the aesthetic of Tim Burton. That’s the first thing that as soon as I walked onto set for the first season, I recognized immediately. I was like, “Oh, this is definitely a Tim Burton set.” But beyond that, I love the celebration of the weird — and I believe in that in life, in general. There’s a goth flavor to it that I really like. What I like about the role of Uncle Fester is that he’s kind of a loner. He is on the outside of it all. He’s in the family, but just off on his own adventures. And he and Wednesday, even though they’re related, they’re also friends and they like each other, so they help each other out. So, even with the spooky quality to everything, there’s an optimism to it too. It’s still somehow happy and positive even though it doesn’t look that way. Then, the way the story unfolds in Season 1 and in Season 2, it grows and gets more mysterious and I love that. And of course the humor.
Season 1 was a massive success — why do you think this series resonates so much with fans?
Armisen: I wish it was easy to put into words why it resonates. You never know because it’s chemistry, it’s everything together. It turns out to be this perfect combination. The music, of course all the actors who are in it, the writing — everything just somehow made sense to everybody. I will say that I’m partial to things that are kind of spooky and scary, but there’s still something colorful about it.
I noticed it as I travel around — people really like to tell me that they watched as a family. And I’m not saying that’s the only way to watch it, but there’s something about it that appears to have bonded people of different generations. That’s a rarity. But also the main character Wednesday — even going back to the original TV show, she’s such a great character. There’s something about Wednesday that to me is really funny. And even though we sometimes see everyone else as normal, I bet it’s more like everyone thinks that everyone else is normal.
For those who are discovering the series for the first time, can you describe who Uncle Fester is and what he’s like?
Armisen: Uncle Fester is Wednesday’s uncle, and he is someone who enjoys life. He’s usually giggling or laughing, but he isn’t a clown figure. He’s sort of part of the underworld, and he’s got a supernatural ability. There’s electricity that runs through him, and he lives on electricity. He’s gleefully weird, with a smile on his face. He’s proud of who he is. It’s almost like everything that comes out of his mouth is a kind of joke.
How has Fester evolved in Season 2?
Armisen: The character hasn’t evolved, but the exploration into what he’s like has evolved. You get to spend more time with him, and you see that he is helpful. There’s something unselfish about him — even though he might have been part of a heist, he doesn’t seem to be living in wealth. He’s still traveling and has his little suitcase and in Season 2, you just get to see more of that. And also you get to see how effective he is. He really does put himself in what you would think is harm’s way to help Wednesday. He really makes it his business to help Wednesday out.
What draws you back to the character? As an actor, what about him do you find interesting?
Armisen: When I first heard about the role, my agent was like, “What would you think of playing Uncle Fester?” And I knew I was the right guy for it. It’s the only time that’s happened in my career where I’m like, “Oh, they got the right guy. I can really do this.” It was really, really natural. And at the same time, I wanted to honor the tradition of the role with the actors who have played him before in the movies and the show. I wanted to really keep it going as if I’m wearing a uniform. I want to serve that character. I want to make sure that the character stays intact. I love it so much that, when I see a video or a picture of me doing it, with all the Fester makeup on and stuff, I get a good feeling.
Talk a bit about working with the showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar this season. What was that like?
Armisen: Oh, it was great because they’re the conduits to everything. In Season 1, I got to know them and then in Season 2 even more, and also what their intent is, and how much they love the show. They’re the best. They’re excited and they’re into it. They’re a good combination of appreciative, and of course wanting to make something great.
How would you describe Fester and Wednesday’s relationship this season?
Armisen: This season, it’s not just a discovery of Fester helping Wednesday. Right away Fester shows up, and Wednesday expects no less. She’s not asking for a favor, she’s not like, “Can you please help?” It’s more like, “Here’s what we’re doing, let’s go.” It’s like a friend showing up — an old friend or even a sibling, someone who you don’t have to explain anything to. I remember one of the first scenes I shot for Season 2, it was Wednesday sort of explaining, “This is what I’m looking to do.” And she doesn’t have an expression of helplessness. She’s not like, “Can you please help?” She’s like, “This is what the plan is.”
What was it like working with Jenna Ortega again?
Armisen: Oh, she’s the best. I saw her as a leader on set. It made me want to do a better job, so that she felt great about the whole thing. I love hearing about her life. She’s in Paris and in London. She’s living life as people should be living their lives. It’s really, really cool. Most of my scenes were with her, so that was awesome. I feel lucky.
We get to see some of Fester’s alter egos this season — he has 18 passports and 33 driver’s licenses. Did you pose for those ID photos?
Armisen: Yes, I did. It’s so funny doing this. It’s so funny to even call it a job, but everything that I have to do, change into another outfit, put on makeup, never do I feel like it’s a burden. “Oh, that’s for the ID photos.” “Great.” “We’re going to take this photo over here.” “Great, I would love to.”
I want the photos to look good. I’m into all of it. And I think part of it is Al Gough and Miles Millar too, that they have a real agenda and they also take nothing for granted. They make no assumptions about Season 2, which is really good.
Fester has the time of his life as a Willow Hill patient — tell us about filming some of those scenes.
Armisen: Oh man, forget it. It’s the best because Tim Burton was laughing so much just at the idea of it. Fester, just sort of utilizing Willow Hill, but turning this facility into a fun project for himself. He’s got this romance and oh God, it’s one of the best lines ever, as he’s kissing Louise in the rain. And also they let all the patients escape, which was really fantastic. And filming in Ireland, something about Europe is spookier. There’s something scary about this old Irish building and patients running out of it.
Willow Hill is so Tim Burton and just from the way that it looks, I’m like, “Oh my God, this is the best.” There was one quick scene where all of us as patients of the facility are painting outside, and one of them has no face, and for one second they just showed the person who had hair but no face. And I was like, “Oh man, I am in the right place. This is where I want to be in my life, doing a scene like this.”
You also get to share a cell with Slurp. What was it like playing opposite Owen Painter in his zombie makeup?
Armisen: What’s crazy is the makeup is so well done, but also he can’t change expressions while we’re just sitting there and talking. So we have these conversations, but I’m looking at this thing, this creature, chin half falling off. And he knew it, too. He’d be like, “Yeah, I know this is so weird.” But that was pretty great.
The costuming in the show is amazing, and it always communicates something specific about the character. How did you work with co-costume designers Colleen Atwood and Mark Sutherland to craft what Fester looks like this season?
Armisen: That’s all Colleen and Mark and the team. And they just had this really crazy idea: Fester has his uniform or regular costume, that long jacket with a big collar. But what does he do when he’s at Willow Hill? So they came up with this idea that it’s the same costume, but off-white. What is the logic of that world? Is that a jacket that’s available to people? Is that an option that Uncle Fester had? We’ll never know, but he somehow lucked out. It’s almost like his costume is just a part of his being. I guess in the same way that the Frankenstein monster always has the same outfit. I’m sure if he was vacationing in the Bahamas or something, there’d be a beach version of it. Same jacket, same collar, but somehow colorful.
Courtesy: Netflix
