WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Wednesday season 1!Wednesday season 1 almost featured a nostalgic actor in a lead role, but there are still opportunities to recast her in season 2. Alongside an ensemble cast of young adults led by Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Tim Burton’s Addams Family series has several big-name actors playing important roles. With Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Luis Guzmán as Gomez, Gwendoline Christie as Principal Larissa Weems, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester, Wednesday’s adult cast was a perfect aggregation of actors who brought their own kooky and outcast resumes to their characters.
The most exciting casting of Wednesday season 1’s nostalgic actors was Christina Ricci as Ms. Marilyn Thornhill, Wednesday’s normie dorm mother at Nevermore Academy. Christina Ricci is best known for her iconic performance as Wednesday Addams in the 1991 The Addams Family film and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values. While her Wednesday casting was a fitting way for Ricci to pass the torch of Wednesday Addams to Ortega, she wasn’t the original choice for this role. When Wednesday’s production began, Hocus Pocus (1993) actress Thora Birch was cast in the prominent role of Nevermore's normie dorm mother Tamara Novak. After Birch dropped out of the series, Ricci took over and the character was adjusted accordingly.
Wednesday Season 2 Needs To Cast Thora Birch Again
Christina Ricci as Marilyn Thornhill was a highlight of Wednesday season 1, but Thora Birch leaving the series was still a big missed casting opportunity. In fact, Birch reportedly wasn’t involved in 2022’s Hocus Pocus sequel due to scheduling conflicts with Wednesday, meaning the actress missed out on two of the biggest spooky nostalgia-laden projects of the year. Since Birch’s rise to fame occurred after playing witch-fighter Dani Dennison, appearing in a supernatural coming-of-age series like Wednesday is perfect for the actress’s mainstream return.
Christina Ricci’s role as Wednesday season 1’s villain Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates could potentially be over given her fate was left ambiguous, so Wednesday could replace her star power in season 2 with Thora Birch. Either way, Ricci’s character won’t be returning to Nevermore in a professional capacity after killing several people. Since Nevermore Academy is losing two significant employees after the demise of Marilyn Thornhill and murder of Principal Weems, Wednesday needs a compelling new Nevermore teacher whose actor can repeat the appeal of Christina Ricci and Gwendoline Christie. After Thora Birch was already initially slated for a Nevermore teacher role, this casting can finally be fulfilled in Wednesday season 2.
Why Wednesday’s Thornhill Recasting Was Better For Season 1
While Thora Birch would have been a great choice for Wednesday’s Nevermore dorm mother, bringing on Christina Ricci was an exciting development for the greater Addams Family legacy, with her casting even changing the meaning of Wednesday's finale. Christina Ricci playing Wednesday’s villain meant pitting the former Wednesday Addams against the new Wednesday Addams, with Ortega’s triumph in the Nevermore battle symbolizing that she’s officially taking over the character’s legacy from Ricci. Jenna Ortega was inevitably competing with Christina Ricci’s beloved Wednesday Addams portrayal, so having the actors duel legitimized Ortega's version as the reigning Wednesday in Wednesday’s season 1 ending.
Christina Ricci’s casting ended up greatly benefiting Wednesday’s meta symbolism, so the actress can hopefully still expand of her dark character in season 2. If Christina Ricci returns for Wednesday season 2, Thora Birch’s casting would be even more exciting, as the two actresses last collaborated as young teens in the 1995 film Now and Then. Thora Birch reportedly dropped out of Wednesday season 1 partway through filming due to a personal matter, but the stars could potentially align for her to appear in the series’ second season.