The Addams Family 2 turns its focus to teenage angst, putting two loving parents in a bit of a pickle. The animated sequel, premiering in theaters and On Demand October 1, sees Gomez (Oscar Isaac, Dune) and Morticia (Charlize Theron, The Old Guard) planning a road trip to bring the family back together.
Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz, Tom and Jerry) is anything but onboard, however, especially when she's preoccupied with spooky secrets that have her questioning her existence. As her parents drag her and her brother Pugsley (Javon 'Wanna' Walton) from one beloved landmark to another, Wednesday's inner turmoil threatens to bubble over and tear the family apart.
Moretz spoke to Screen Rant about exploring Wednesday's existential crisis, and what she considers to be the heart of the Addams family.
Screen Rant: I love that this is Wednesday's turn to go on her own personal existential crisis. Can you talk about what it was like to explore Wednesday finding her place in the world?
Chloë Grace Moretz: That's exactly how I felt. Honestly, I was so excited when we started to record to find out that she was such an intrinsic character to this story, and to this film as a whole. We really follow her coming-of-age story, with her really figuring out is she an Addams or is she not an Addams?
It was a whole lot of fun to find those new shades of Wednesday and figure out what those vocals sounded like, and how to get across sentimentality and things like that in a character that's 90% of the time monotone and almost sociopathic.
It was a little bit mind-boggling and fun, and it was a bit of a puzzle to kind of pull apart. But I think we had such a fun time, and the writers did such a good job with the comedy elements within the story. Honestly, it's laugh-out-loud funny in some moments.
Having fun is not exactly Wednesday's idea of a good time, but we do get to go on a whole Addams Family road trip. In which place did you have the most fun showcasing her not having fun?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I really loved the line when her mother's like, "How are you doing, darling?" And she's like, "I'm looking at Canada if that says anything." I thought the Niagara Falls sequence is so funny. Canada's amazing; all good things in Canada, but what a funny line. It's just so Addams, and it's so Wednesday.
I think the Niagara Falls sequence and the Grand Canyon sequence [were my favorite]. Also the pageant sequence! The pageant sequence is one of the funniest things. She looks at her father, and she's like, "This will not end well for you." Seeing Wednesday in a blonde wig was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. I was like, "No! Who did that to her?"
The Addams Family is literally always about family; what it means to be an Addams and what it means to be family. For you, personally, what is that bond between them that makes them so powerful?
Chloë Grace Moretz: I think it's their ability to allow them to be themselves. They don't really try to pigeonhole each other and they don't really try to restrain each other; they're allowed to be who they are unabashedly.
I think that's something that I've always really connected to with the Addams, for sure. I've always really found a sense of comfort in their family dynamic; how odd it is and how offbeat it is.
We're all honorary Addams.
Hopefully, we're gonna get many more adventures to come. Now that Wednesday has overcome this particular hurdle, is there anything that you'd like her to explore in her life or her family dynamics next?
Chloë Grace Moretz: It'd be interesting to see Wednesday start dating. I'd love to see how Wednesday is if she likes someone because we've seen her navigate herself. I think it was really wonderful to see her grow in this way and become her own little lady in this family and be respected like one. I think it'd be interesting to see her flirt. What does Wednesday sound like when flirting? I would love to know.
Or dealing with someone trying to tell her what to do. And she's like, "What? Excuse me?" It'd be interesting to see a teenage romance with Wednesday.
What was most different about recording this time around? Did you record during the pandemic, or was it already mostly done beforehand?
Chloë Grace Moretz: No, we started recording it in the middle of the pandemic. We started at my house in L.A., and then I ended up having to leave and go start filming in Boston. So, we ended up recording it predominantly out of my closet in an apartment in Boston. Yeah, it was all over the place.
I think if anything can be done in the pandemic, voiceover was the perfect thing. So, I felt really lucky to have this be a creative outlet in a time where I think, sadly, there weren't a lot of opportunities for a lot of people.
The Addams Family 2 premieres in theaters and On Demand on October 1.
