🐱 Wednesday’s Gomez Addams Casting Controversy Explained – Is He Accurate?

https://screenrant.com/wednesday-gomez-addams-actor-look-appearance-controversy/

https://archive.ph/VXTle

First-look images of Tim Burton's Wednesday reveal Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, but the casting choice is getting an unfounded amount of criticism.


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 Familymovies, Tim Burton is finally tackling the cooky characters in Netflix’s Wednesday. After debuting in a 1938 New Yorker cartoon, the Addams Familycharacters rose to popularity through a 1960s black-and-white sitcom. The show was later followed by the live-action movies The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, then a recent pair of animated films, and now Burton’s Wednesday-focused TV show.

Wednesday stars Scream's Jenny Ortega as the title character. The coming-of-age series follows Wednesday Addams as a high schooler at Nevermore Academy, where she’ll master her psychic powers and solve a supernatural mystery related to her own family. The cast additionally includes Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley, Victor Dorobantu as Thing, George Burcea as Lurch, and Luis Guzmán as Gomez. Ever since images were released of the actors appearing in costume for Wednesday, 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 Gomez Addams, following John Astin in the 1960s sitcom and Raúl Juliá in the 1990s movies. The previous live-action Gomezes shared a similar look, which has led some to perceive Guzmán as a strange casting choice. Despite a surface difference, though, Wednesday’s casting of Guzmán is actually an exciting choice, and the new character design is completely accurate to the original cartoons – more so than Astin and Juliá. The depiction of 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 than the 1960s show and 1990s movies.

Why Gomez’s Casting Is Perfect For Wednesday​

Outside of Luis Guzmán simply being a brilliant casting choice, Wednesday’s Gomez Addams appearing with a physically different characterization from the previous actors is a great way for Tim Burton's Addams Family showto 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 significant charisma of his own to the screen, which will still elicit the lusty dynamic between Gomez and Morticia that every Addams Family adaptation has highlighted. The hairpiece atop Gomez's head in Wednesdaymay 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 Familyadaptation has ever been. Rather than another iteration of the Gomez and Morticia Addams that has been done several times before, Guzmán and Zeta-Jones will brilliantly bring to life the original vision for the iconic morbid married couple.

 

[Unpaid Emotional Labourer]

We're getting upset over The Adams Family reboot now?

No a few fangirls were complaining on Twitter because Raul Julia was hot and Luis Guzman is Luis Guzman and thus not, so a whole article was invented around that.

 

[WhatIsThePunchline]

Gomez is a Spaniard name, which means he can be white. All these people share that last name:

View attachment 3613850View attachment 3613853View attachment 3613858

All Hispanic names you ever heard of have Spanish origins: Mendoza, Rodriguez, Álvarez, etcetera. Actual native names aren't at all like this. Most latinos would have a problem pronouncing native last names from Mexico or Paraguay. Latinos with Hispanic names do have white ancestry, though.

Also, Gomez ain't a name. It's a surname and it has GERMAN origin.

View attachment 3613838

Gomez is based around a sleazy south American villain archetype.

No a few fangirls were complaining on Twitter because Raul Julia was hot and Luis Guzman is Luis Guzman and thus not, so a whole article was invented around that.

Live action really did make him a whole lot more attractive.

 

[Kheapathic]

I saw an add for this on YouTube today. It has Wednesday putting piranhas in the school pool and they attack, possibly kill some kid. Not having high hopes for this.

 

[Lucille Bluth]

Gomez is a Spaniard name, which means he can be white. All these people share that last name:

View attachment 3613850View attachment 3613853View attachment 3613858

All Hispanic names you ever heard of have Spanish origins: Mendoza, Rodriguez, Álvarez, etcetera. Actual native names aren't at all like this. Most latinos would have a problem pronouncing native last names from Mexico or Paraguay. Latinos with Hispanic names do have white ancestry, though.

Also, Gomez ain't a name. It's a surname and it has GERMAN origin.

View attachment 3613838

*faceplams*

HIS FIRST NAME IS FUCKING GOMEZ.

I can't even with this forum anymore, I can't.

A quick search claims that Gomez had no given name until the 1960s actor decided to name him "Gomez" for the show (even though it is a surname, but I doubt any cared about that fact). And the popularity of the show and subsequent media kept the name. The rest of the family weren't given any Hispanic-sounding names. And aside from Jenna Ortega playing Wednesday (probably influenced by current Hollywood and representation), it seems like all the other main cast aren't Latino.

I always did picture him as being some sleazy yet good looking Central or South American. I never realized he was suppose to be hideous originally. Which the now/current live-action actor fits.

I saw an add for this on YouTube today. It has Wednesday putting piranhas in the school pool and they attack, possibly kill some kid. Not having high hopes for this.

When I found out Netflix had some involvement in this I set my standards low. I wouldn't be shocked if Wednesday is revealed last minute to be some non-binary kween. We know a lot of their shows seem to push some sort of alphabet agenda.

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

I would fucking take Carlos Mencia over this. What a disaster.

 

[Stoneheart]

Gomez is a Spaniard name, which means he can be white.

what kind of logic is this? Spaniards are not white... they are hispanic, just like italians are latinos. they are not white and fail the nipple test.

 

[Ita Mori]

Guzman is fine, but someone smack Netflix in the dome and get Guzman a better wig.

Spaniards are not white

Coulda fooled me.

 

[breadandcircuses]

All of a sudden, Zombie's Munsters ain't lookin' so bad!

 

[CatParty]

I like that the article is trying to push the controversy but the people they hope would cry foul are just like “eh he works”. No one can be Julia so just go in the opposite direction

 

[Kramer on the phone]

Nobody will top Raul Julia. Sorry. It just doesn't matter who they cast, Raul Julia will always be Gomez for me. Fuck cancer, such a great actor taken from us.

sean astin would have been 100% the best choice, especially now. its a fuck load harder to critique the casting, even if you do pull the "lol addams is a spic surname" because the family choice would usually win out.

Also if they're forced to put in a spic. clearly their best option for Gomez, is America's favorite Gomez. Luis J Gomez.

 

[Mike Matei's Penis]

Does anyone actually like Addams Family/Munsters? Seems like the most milquetoast property for 7-10 year olds of all time. Series of Unfortunate events was edgier

 

[Ashen One]

I like that the article is trying to push the controversy but the people they hope would cry foul are just like “eh he works”. No one can be Julia so just go in the opposite direction

I've seen many tweets making fun of the people complaining about Luis Guzman playing Gomez Addams or being angry at the people who wanted a white guy as the actor, but I've yet to see any of the people complaining about the casting decision. Nobody is taking the bait on this one.

 

[The Feline Solution]

His face appears to be largely prosthetic anyway and is indeed more accurate to the comics than any previous live-action portrayal so I don't see a problem.



I see that Glenn Taranto, who portrayed Gomez Addams for 65 episodes (one episode more than even John Astin, although that's not including cameos Astin made in character as Gomez Addams in other shows) in the 1990s New Addams Family live-action TV show, is completely forgotten.

View attachment 3612753

Rightfully so. That version of the Addams was fucking terrible.

I like Guzman as an actor but i doubt this new show will be even remotely good, the whole concept sounds dogshit.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Who gives a shit about Luith Guthmaaan, when Catherine Zeta Jones is going to be Morticia?!

 

[Criticallacitirc]

Damn this looks stupid . Obviously designed for maladjusted adults who wanted to be "special" in high-school & still harboring resentment about their own experiences.

 

[heathercho]

You know what, it's not a NIGGER as Netfix is known to do. Was this their galaxy brain play, to fuck up a bunch of other series so that I'd settle with a sigh and say "okay, Luis kind of fits I guess, it sort of fits the source material way way back"? Did no one else show up to audition? I just don't know anymore. Fuck.

You know, I was trying to remember where I knew him from - he was in the movie "Cleaner".
The only time I saw it was on a packed long haul flight, on an old 747 with a broken entertainment system that would only allow you to watch yesterday's BBC news stream, the Flintstones and that movie, on repeat for 11 hrs.

Despite that torture, he stuck out to me then, I didn't forget his face and I genuinely thought he was a highlight of the movie, even though he was just a side character and he looks like wolfman.
He's no Raul, but he's still charming in his own way.

I'm shocked Hollywood didn't fuck it up for once. The show will be shit though.

 

[Ser Prize]

Really? I thought the continental influence of Old Spain was always extremely strong. From the old world decor of the house, Gomez's dress, and of course the traditional family folk dances with the heavy doses of flamenco.

People always conflate Spain with derpy ass looking mestizos for some reason.

 

[Alligator Alcatraz]

Aside from that, I'd like a nice new take on the Addams family. Hopefully it has that wholesome, gothic but family orientated feel of the original. It was absolutely crushing to me that the idealized family I kept in mind was ruined by Anjelica Huston being one of Polanski's ardent defenders. It's absolutely laughable now but at the time, the Addams Family was one of those things that made it feel like being weird isn't a death sentence, that it's okay to be different. And then it turns out that Morticia loves it when disturbed kykes rape little girls, so a foundational fairy tale from my youth is now absolute poison.

Nice. The character "Lady Dimistrescu" from Resident Evil 8: The Village was based on Huston's "Morticia" as confirmed by the art director Takano. Interesting Resident Evil lore.

https://www.ign.com/articles/resident-evil-village-capcom-interview-lady-dimitrescu-tall-vampire

 

[cactus]

Damn this looks stupid . Obviously designed for maladjusted adults who wanted to be "special" in high-school & still harboring resentment about their own experiences.

I see the problem now: it's a drama. Addams Family stuff should be comedy and stay in that realm. And the people complaining about the violence, Wednesday 100% would put piranhas in the pool, but no one would have gotten hurt and or it would only imply it, and this is based on when the family poured hot oil on the carolers and when Wednesday pulled her stunt during the play at camp or wouldn't play lifeguard when Becky volunteered to be the drowning victim. The live-action movies are pretty violent, but not all gory or bloody.

 

[-Charlemagne-]

I see the problem now: it's a drama. Addams Family stuff should be comedy and stay in that realm. And the people complaining about the violence, Wednesday 100% would put piranhas in the pool, but no one would have gotten hurt and or it would only imply it, and this is based on when the family poured hot oil on the carolers and when Wednesday pulled her stunt during the play at camp or wouldn't play lifeguard when Becky volunteered to be the drowning victim. The live-action movies are pretty violent, but not all gory or bloody.

This. The Addams Family at it's core is a black comedy, with a lot of its humor coming from three major points; the fact that this kooky, violent, gothic horror obsessed family finds normal society wired and strange, your regular persons reactions to the antics of the family, and finally that despite all this, they are a family who genuinely loves each other despite all the dark aspects and are somehow able to get away with all the dark stuff they do to the bafflement of others.

How "black" the comedy is depends on the writer (see the differences between the TV show and the Movies) but at no point is anything violent or dark taken seriously; it's suppose to be funny. The fact that they're trying to make this a drama and take all the weird stuff about the Addams family and play it straight is going to kill the show.