Reflecting on the making of “The Addams Family Values,” it’s quite astonishing to see how these seemingly ordinary individuals were transformed into the eccentric and unforgettable characters we all know and love today.
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky…”
They act based on their own desires, express themselves freely, lead lives according to their will, and enjoy themselves as they please.
Featuring memorable performances from Raúl Juliá, Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, and Christopher Lloyd, “The Addams Family” and “Addams Family Values” have continued to be popular Halloween classics. To this day, Christina Ricci’s spot-on portrayal of young Wednesday Addams remains the epitome of witty adolescent morbidity.
When considering influential figures for the youth, the actress, now 44, expressed this sentiment in 2023 on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”. “She stays true to herself, refusing to bend or fit others’ expectations, instead choosing to be unapologetically authentic. That’s quite remarkable.
Surprisingly, when The Addams Family movie was released in 1991, Hollywood experts didn’t anticipate its success. Made with a budget of only $30 million over a challenging 20-week production period, the film based on Charles Addams’ darkly humorous cartoon and the 1964 TV series managed to earn an impressive $200 million at the box office.
1993 saw the release of an even more humorous sequel titled “Addams Family Values“. Despite not doing well at the box office with earnings of around $50 million, it has become a cult classic, particularly due to the outstanding performance of Joan Cusack.
Since then, I’ve found myself deeply engrossed in a remarkable animated spectacle, “The Addams Family” of 2019, where stars like Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac, Finn Wolfhard, Chloe Grace Moretz, and even Snoop Dogg lent their voices. Moreover, the Netflix series “Wednesday,” featuring Jenna Ortega portraying the intriguingly eccentric teenager, has proven far from ordinary or juvenile.
As the clock strikes midnight and Halloween draws near, let’s revisit the tantalizing tales from 1991’s “The Addams Family” and 1993’s “Addams Family Values.” Here, we’ll uncover intriguing behind-the-scenes secrets that make this franchise twice as captivating: a perfect pair of surprises!
1. While talks of an Addams Family movie had been going on for decades, producer Scott Rudin really decided to take on the project are unexpectedly hearing the theme song from an unlikely source when a studio executive’s son started singing it during a car ride “and suddenly everyone in the van was singing the theme, letter perfect, note for note,” he told The Los Angeles Times. The next day, he went in to pitch the idea.
1989 saw news break about me and Kevin Kline taking on the roles of Morticia and Gomez, with Ivan Reitman directing. However, by 1990, Robin Williams and Huston were also mentioned as potential leads. In the end, it was Julia who secured the role as the Addams family patriarch. As Sonnenfield shared with The Guardian, I was an ideal choice to play Gomez. “I’ve never collaborated with anyone more enamored with life,” he said of me.
3. Morticia was consistently preferred by the producers for Huston, as Rudin shared with The Los Angeles Times, “We’ve always wanted Anjelica. In this film, she plays a role similar to Mrs. Miniver, serving as the matriarch of the family. She can be both gentle and sharp, and then suddenly become extremely passionate.
Initially, Huston had thought Cher would be chosen for the part due to her apparent fit, but it was actually he who was selected instead. Later on, Sonnenfield disclosed that the studio favored Cher, but they felt having her would skew the film too much towards celebrity status, and they preferred to maintain a balance rather than focusing on star power.
4. In an interview with The Guardian, Huston shared her motivation for portraying Morticia: “I modeled Morticia after Jerry Hall.” To embody the Addams Family matriarch, Huston underwent two hours of hair and makeup, which included modifying her eyes and wearing a metal corset. As she explained to EW, by mid-afternoon, she was susceptible to severe headaches due to the multiple constraints, and because she couldn’t recline or rest in the corset, it was quite taxing.
5. Despite her extensive Hollywood career that spans many years, playing Wednesday Addams starting at age 10 remains Christina Ricci’s most iconic role, and she is completely comfortable with this fact.
She shared with The A.V. Club that there is an incredibly strong connection between herself and another person, as the role she played for that period of time seems to have significantly impacted her, providing constant positive encouragement. It’s a conundrum similar to the chicken-and-egg dilemma: Did my character influence her personality, or did her personality shape my character?
6. In a 1991 interview on Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, Ricci shared her preparation strategy for her audition: “My mom advised me to imagine Winona Ryder from Beetlejuice, since their characters are somewhat similar. I did that, auditioned, and it turned out to be successful for the role.” After working together in Mermaids the previous year, Ricci and Ryder developed a close friendship that lasted for many years.
7. Before Christopher Lloyd got the part of Uncle Fester, it’s said that Sir Anthony Hopkins declined the offer. Interestingly, the bulky suit Lloyd wore in the movies had a history: It was used in 1974 for “The Godfather II” by Bruno Kirby, who later passed it on to Christopher Lloyd for “Back to the Future.
8. Lloyd, who’d always been a big enthusiast of the initial animated series, felt “surprised” when he received the call about portraying Uncle Fester, his most beloved character. However, during pre-production, Lloyd harbored constant worry about being dismissed, confessing to Buzzfeed, “I didn’t feel particularly convincing.” When summoned for a discussion following a trial scene in makeup prosthetics, he was convinced he would be replaced. Fortunately, they opted for regular makeup instead. “They believed the prosthetics were restricting my facial movements, so we abandoned the prosthetics… and I was incredibly relieved,” he shared.
9. In the initial screenplay for the first movie, Fester wasn’t the genuine Addams family member, but an imposter instead. However, during rehearsal, the cast strongly objected and felt that 10-year-old Ricci should discuss this with the creative team. As Ricci elucidated her reasons for keeping Fester as the real Fester, we had to find a way to accommodate this, Rudin stated. “She was such an insightful advocate that we ended up revising approximately 20 pages of the script.
10. Although many assumed directors like Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, or David Lynch would take on the film project, it was Sonnenfield, a novice director and cinematographer, who ended up with the challenging role. The 25-week production proved to be overwhelming for him, causing him to lose a significant amount of weight during the first ten weeks alone. “I shed 13 pounds in just those first ten weeks,” he confided in Empire magazine, “and the tension was unbearable.
About three weeks into the production process, he collapsed on set while discussing the budget. He stated, “I was positioned behind a chair when I suddenly felt an immense pressure in my chest, like someone inflating a balloon within me. Without warning, I became quite dizzy and attempted to sit down, but then – boom! – I lost consciousness.
11. Doesn’t seem to be alleviating his anxiety? Instead of assisting, Rubin playfully altered the name on the director’s chair every time a journalist visited the set, frequently switching it with names of directors who had previously discussed directing the movie.
12. The title of the sequel, “Addams Family Values,” was inspired by a contentious speech given in 1992 by Vice Presidential candidate Dan Quayle. In this speech, he argued that the collapse of “family values” was the cause of the Los Angeles riots.
13. In the sequel, all the primary Addams Family characters reappeared, except for Judith Malina, who was swapped out for Carol Kane as Grandmama. This change occurred because the role began to require more physical exertion. Interestingly, Carol Kane is actually a year younger than her on-screen daughter and has been friends with Huston since their teenage years.
14. Originally, Kathleen Turner was supposedly under consideration for the role, but ultimately, Joan Cusack secured it as Debbie Jellinski, the cunning gold-digging villain in the sequel who frequently steals the spotlight and left the cast and crew in stitches with her performance.
Joan Cusack brilliantly plays the character Debbie, leaving everyone in awe. On the set where we filmed that monologue discussing Malibu Barbie, Rudnick said, people were trying to stifle their laughter by using paper cups due to Joan’s exceptional performance. Rudnick described it as a rare treat to watch her act.
15. The on-screen kiss with fellow Camp Chippewa camper Joel (portrayed by Dave Krumholtz) on Wednesday was the first for both Ricci, who was only 13 at the time, and her 15-year-old on-screen boyfriend.
Reflecting back, Krumholtz admitted he was apprehensive about the experience as it was one of his initial kisses with a girl. He recalled the moment as simple lip contact, but innocent nonetheless. However, Christina had pointed out an embarrassing detail – the peach fuzz on his upper-lip, which she didn’t appreciate. This comment made him extremely self-conscious.
16. In the sequel, the infant character Baby Pubert, son of Gomez and Morticia Addams, was portrayed by twin actresses Kaitlyn Hooper and Kristen Hooper. The name Pubert was a tribute to the original name Charles Addams had for Pugsley, which was later discarded by the producers of the ’60s TV series. To make the twins crawl in certain scenes, Cheerios were attached to strings, and their hair was darkened slightly. As you might expect, a mustache was drawn on for the role.
17. In their search for Pugsley, they eventually discovered Jimmy Workman, thanks to his sister, who was trying out for the role of Wednesday Addams. As it turned out, we noticed him while he was waiting in the audition room, Sonnenfield shared.
18. Michael Jackson composed a song and directed a music video for a sequel titled “Is It Scary,” but when he faced allegations of child molestation in 1993 and continued contract disputes, his project with Paramount fell through, ultimately preventing its inclusion in the movie.
Rudnick shared with Buzzfeed that he believed the video had been finished, yet it was too daring to incorporate it into the film at that particular stage due to its content. Specifically, the video depicted the character residing in the Addams Family mansion, which led to the neighbors revolting and attacking the house with pitchforks and torches. As such, it was deemed a bit too risky. (laughs) Consequently, it wasn’t added to the final cut.
19. The wig resembling Cousin Itt, worn by John Salapatek, in both movies weighed a hefty 35 pounds, even though it was made lighter for the second movie. Speaking to Buzzfeed, Salapatek shared his amazement and apprehension, fearing he might be replaced for the sequel. “Given that I tip the scales at more than 100 pounds myself,” he said, “donning the costume was quite an endurance test.
20. In 1991, when she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, Julia worked on “The Addams Family Values” as one of her final projects. Tragically, she passed away just under a year after the movie’s premiere.
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2024-10-20 10:18