Wednesday Season 2: 11 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets About How The Show Was Made

Jenna Ortega behind the scenes of Wednesday season 2After fans were kept waiting for three years, it’s no surprise that Wednesday season two quickly shot straight to the number one spot on Netflix’s most-watched rankings, and hasn’t budged since.With the first season becoming the most popular English-language Netflix show of all time, there were certainly high hopes that the Jenna Ortega-led Addams Family spin-off would deliver once again.And, unsurprisingly, fans and critics alike are already fully invested in Wednesday’s return to Nevermore as she takes on fresh mysteries and new family dynamics.But if those first four episodes weren’t enough to keep you going until part two drops next month, maybe a spooky tour behind the scenes of the new season will help tide you over…There was one huge change between seasons one and two of Wednesday – did you notice?The show is set in the US state of Vermont, but much of the first season was shot across locations in Romania, due to the abundance of gothic architecture to match the spooky vibe of the show.However for season two, the Wednesday production journeyed elsewhere to shoot in another location known for its grand and historic buildings: Ireland.In a behind-the-scenes featurette from Netflix, the crew explained why the Emerald Isle provided the ideal backdrop for the new season. “There is a spirit in Ireland that very much embraces the whole of this Wednesday shoot,” Joanna Lumley, who plays Grandmama Hester Frump, said.Executive producer Miles Millar added that the Irish setting makes the show “feel more Tim Burton”, with the series director agreeing that a combination of sets and location delivered on the “off-kilter” vibe.Moving Wednesday to Ireland made for a pretty historic occasion, tooIt was reported in Variety last year that, Wednesday marked the “largest production to ever film in Ireland” in terms of production spend.Considering shows and movies like Game Of Thrones, Vikings, Harry Potter and Braveheart were also filmed in Ireland, that’s a pretty big feat.Even Ireland’s prime minister, Taoiseach Simon Harris, visited the set to greet director Tim Burton, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and other Irish creatives working on the production.Wednesday moved to Ireland for its second seasonDid you spot these very subtle set design details?We quickly learned in season one that Wednesday was full of references to Edgar Allan Poe, the iconic American writer and poet known for his dark, macabre stories. Even the Nevermore Academy is named after a line in one of his most famous works, The Raven.In this season, panels of wallpaper throughout the show depict various Poe stories, including Ligeia, The Masque Of The Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall Of The House of Usher (which itself was famously adapted for Netflix in 2023).Wednesday’s set decorator Neville Gaynor also created wallpaper based on the illustrations of Irish stained-glass artist Harry Clarke.There was one huge cultural reference that the creators were keen to avoidFans of both Wednesday and the Harry Potter franchise may have noticed more than a few similarities between the franchises, namely that both are set in spooky schools in a world full of supernatural occurrences.Speaking in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar explained how they were keen to outgrow some of those comparisons.“You’re in a magical boarding school, so comparisons are going to be there. And Harry Potter is a brilliant book series and a brilliant film series. But we’re always trying to find ways for the show to not do that – trying of zig where they might have zagged,” Alfred said. “The good news is the Addams family brings a completely unique overlay to everything. Some of those comparisons are going to be inevitable, but we’re trying to create our own distinct world.”The crew were keen to play down similarities between Nevermore and HogwartsIt wasn’t the Wednesday team’s decision to split season two in half, but it did mean they had to get inventive when it came to their storytellingShowrunner Alfred Gough claimed: “What [the split] allowed us to do – which is something we wanted to do anyway – was change up the storytelling mystery.“We didn’t want a cards down, ‘You can’t find out till the end of the eighth episode’ whodunnit. We wanted it to feel complete in the first four. So, you have that and then it leads into something bigger. As you’ll see in the end, all the cats are out of the bag.”Joanna Lumley had a little trouble landing on the right accent for her characterWhile we often hear the British acting icon performing in her own accent, Joanna Lumley was a little stuck when it came to deciphering her character’s voice on the show.“I know we’re shooting in 20 minutes…” the Absolutely Fabulous star recalled telling the Beetlejuice director while speaking on This Morning. “But could you just say… what am I? Am I sort of English?”The Beetlejuice director’s response was simply: “Oh, just not too British.”Therefore, Joanna landed on the voice we hear in the show, which sounds like a throwback to an old-fashioned mid-Atlantic accent.Joanna Lumley was a new addition to the Wednesday cast for its second seasonOne of Wednesday season two’s stars didn’t even know what she was auditioning for when she first tried out for her roleEvie Templeton, who plays Agnes Demille in season two, started out her audition process with a self-tape, but it was all rather secretive.“It was actually a little bit weird, because I kind of guessed what it was, but I wasn’t told directly because it was all under code names,” she shared in Netflix’s behind-the-scenes feature.As she moved further down the process, she did a chemistry read with Jenna and co-star Emma Myers via Zoom, as they were both shooting separate movies in New Zealand at the time.Showrunner, exec producer and writer Miles Millar said that while it was “challenging”, you will “definitely” notice if the actors are gelling. “If it’s happening, even on a Zoom, it’s real”.Evie Templeton as Agnes DeMille in WednesdayAnd she took inspiration from one Oscar-winning filmEvie might just be the breakout star of season two, and unsurprisingly her prep to step into the role of Wednesday’s wide-eyed superfan was thorough.Speaking to Netflix, she explained how she started building the character with a moodboard which included black lace and gothic imagery.But she also took inspiration from the five-time Oscar-winning One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, the 1975 movie starring Jack Nicholson, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey.In the movie, Jack plays a convict who is sent to a psychiatric hospital and encourages his companions to take more control of their lives.Evie said she took inspiration from the movie to “develop her elements of madness, because she’s obviously a little bit cuckoo”.Lady Gaga got involved in thes how after her song soundtracked a viral Wednesday-themed trendWho is better suited to make a guest appearance in the world of Wednesday than, of course, Lady Gaga?While we don’t know exactly what her role is going to entail, she has been confirmed to feature in the second half of season two, and we also get a little teaser in the new trailer.As for how she was recruited for this season, Alfred Gough explained to The Hollywood Reporter that it all came about when Gaga’s 2011 song Bloody Mary had a resurgence as the soundtrack to the viral Wednesday dance trend – you might remember she even did it herself.@ladygagaBLOODY WEDNESDAY #fyp♬ original sound - Paul“It came from the internet when people put Bloody Mary [on the viral Wednesday dance video] and then she did the dance too. She seemed perfect,” Alfred explained.“We were excited to find her a small role in the show – which is all we can really say about that at this point.”If you’re wondering how Christopher Lloyd wound up returning to the Addams Family universe with his Wednesday cameo – it was actually his ideaBack To The Future star Christopher Lloyd returns to the Addams Family franchise in season two of Wednesday, having portrayed Uncle Fester in the 90s movies The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.He was so keen to be back involved in the franchise, that he even reached out first to the creators to express his desire to be a part of the show. As per TV Insider, showrunner Miles Millar ensured they found the perfect role for him. “We always want to push and challenge ourselves in terms of visual effects and what we can do, so an idea came up: ‘What if one teacher at the school was just a head in a jar?’,” he recalled, referencing the role of Professor Orloff.“We thought Chris would be perfect, because he’s always been on the forefront of visual effects with his movies.”Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester in the hilarious Addams Family ValuesHis former Addams Family co-star Christina Ricci also made an appearance during the first season of Wednesday.This season could be teeing up a new spin-offThe idea of a Wednesday spin-off has been a possibility since the first season came out, but it seems this next instalment could be laying those foundations.As revealed in a joint interview with star Jenna and Tim Burton in The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Alfred Gough said a spin-off is “something we’re definitely noodling; there are other characters we can look at”.Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria also hinted that “there’s a lot to explore in the Addams Family”.A third season has also been confirmed, so we don’t know if a spinoff is coming any time soon, but the updates seem promising.The second half of Wednesday season two premieres on Netflix on 3 September.READ MORE:Wednesday Star Hunter Doohan Had 1 Big Question Before Filming His Viral Shirtless ScenesThought The New Stars Of Wednesday Season 2 Looked Familiar? Here's Where You've Seen Them Before11 Roles You'd Probably Totally Forgotten That Wednesday Star Jenna Ortega Once Played

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