Wednesday’s Gomez Addams Casting Controversy Explained – Is He Accurate?
Luis Guzmán stars as Gomez Addams in Tim Burton’s Wednesday series, but whether the actor’s appearance is an accurate look for the role is a source of contention. After originally being eyed to direct the 1990s Addams Family movies, Tim Burton finally tackled the cooky characters in Netflix’s Wednesday. Wednesday stars Scream’s Jenny Ortega as Wednesday Addams. The coming-of-age series follows Wednesday Addams as a high schooler at Nevermore Academy — Gomez Addams’ alma mater — where she masters her psychic powers while solving a supernatural mystery. The Wednesday cast additionally includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, Victor Dorobantu as Thing, George Burcea as Lurch, and Luis Guzmán as the Gomez Addams actor. However, Burton’s choice for the Gomez Addams actor wasn’t universally well-received.
Ever since Wednesday hit the screens, there has been a divisive response to Guzmán’s Gomez Addams casting. Luis Guzmán is the third actor to tackle a major studio’s live-action portrayal of a Gomez Addams actor, following John Astin in the 1960s sitcom and Raúl Juliá in the 1990s movies. The previous live-action Gomezes shared a similar look, which led some to doubt Guzmán. Despite a surface difference, though, Wednesday’s Luis Guzmán proved to be a perfect Gomez. The character design is completely accurate to the original cartoons — more so than Astin and Juliá. The Luiz Guzmán Gomez in the Netflix series also reflects that of the animated movies from 2019 and 2021, which used Charles Addams’s original cartoons as inspiration rather. Here’s the Wednesday Gomez Addams casting controversy explained — and why it’s unwarranted.
Why Gomez’s Casting Is Perfect For Wednesday
Outside of Luis Guzmán simply being a brilliant casting choice, Wednesday’s Gomez Addams actor appearing with a physically different characterization from the previous actors is a great way for Tim Burton’s Addams Family show to avoid incessant comparisons to past live-action adaptations. Burton isn’t trying to make his own version of the 1990s duology, and distinct casting choices do better to get this point across to audiences. By using the original cartoons as inspiration for the character designs, Burton’s Wednesday offers a brand-new yet still familiar take on the beloved Addams Family characters that live-action adaptations have yet to depict.
Luis Guzmán also brings a powerful charisma of his own to the screen, which still elicits the lusty dynamic between Gomez and Morticia that every Addams Family adaptation has highlighted. The hairpiece atop Gomez’s head in Wednesday may look more bizarre than Astin and Juliá’s take on the character, but it’s the most faithful to the source material that a live-action Addams Family adaptation has ever been. Rather than another iteration of the Gomez and Morticia Addams that has been done several times before, the Gomez Addams actor and Zeta-Jones brilliantly bring to life the original vision for the iconic morbid married couple.
Luis Guzmán Proved The Doubters Wrong
Controversy surrounding the casting of the new Gomez Addams actor has proved to be more of the typical knee-jerk aversion which seems to dog all new interpretations of classic IPs. Guzmán put out a stunning performance for Wednesday season 1, different but uniquely his own and more than praiseworthy. In addition, Guzmán stays truer to Charles Addams’ original cartoon series, which sees a much stouter Gomez Addams standing next to his tall and slim wife Morticia.
Also worth noting — aesthetic alone does not a good Gomez Addams make. What makes Gomez so endearing, aside from his penchant for all things morbid, is the passionate love he has for his wife as well as his arguably naive optimism in the face of adversity. Guzmán took these attributes to heart while playing Gomez on Wednesday, and he stays remarkably true to Charles Addams’ original vision for the family. Despite being a little more laid back than Raul Julia’s depiction of Gomez Addams, Luis Guzmán still keeps the spirit of the character on Wednesday, making all the casting controversy totally ridiculous.
