Days ahead of the premiere ofWednesdayon Netflix, series actorLuis Guzmanopened up on his casting as Gomez Addams. In the series, which has four of its eight episodes directed by Tim Burton, Jenna Ortega leads the cast as a reimagined version of Wednesday. Also appearing in supporting roles is Guzman as Gomez alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester.
Guzman recently appeared as a guest onThe Rich Eisen Showand addressedWednesday. He recalled how he first learned that he was wanted for the part, revealing that Burton had approached him personally to offer the role. It all came as a surprise for Guzman, who hadn’t even auditioned and knew nothing whatsoever about the series, as he was thrilled to have been given the offer. It was also something he didn’t have to spend any time thinking about, agreeing immediately to accept once Burton provided the opportunity.
“I was actually in Cardiff, Wales, and I got a phone call saying, ‘Tim Burton wants to speak to you.’ ‘Tim Burton? Yeah!’ So, we Zoomed the next day, and he said, ‘Hey, man, we’re doing this thing about The Addams Family.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, wow. Cool.’ I don’t know what’s going to happen next. And he said, ‘I’d love for you to play Gomez.’ And I go, ‘For real?! Really? Okay, alright, let’s do it!'”
The actor goes on to explain how he felt like the series was something special once he saw the script. Guzman notes that in addition to getting the exciting offer from Burton, the quality of the writing was what really made doingWednesdaya no-brainer.
“I got the script. I read it. The writing is… you know, the thing about this Addams Family, it’s not about slapstick. The writing is so good, it’s so funny. The delivery, and it makes it funny. That’s really what sold me.”
Related:Fred Armisen Studied Past Portrayals of Uncle Fester for Wednesday Role
Wednesday Reboots The Addams Family
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developedWednesdayfor Netflix with the help of Burton. The series follows Wednesday as an older teen attending Nevermore Academy where she is a “sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting” student looking to get to the bottom of a major mystery. The film is a total reboot with no connections to any of the previous adaptations ofThe Addams Family.
In addition to the aforementioned cast members,Wednesdaystars Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, and Naomi J. Ogawa. Previous Wednesday Addams actress Christina Ricci also has a special role in the new show.
