The Addams Family movies are based on the cartoons from the late '30s by artist Charles Addams. The titular Addams Family mostly focused on parents Gomez and Morticia Addams and their children Wednesday and Pugsley. Also living with them was Gomez's brother Fester and Morticia's mother (also called Grandmama). Together, the Addams clan was a wealthy family who adored all things dark and morbid.
After the success of the newspaper cartoon came the animated version and later a couple of movies. The first two theatrical movies (The Addams Family and Addams Family Values) were the biggest hits in the franchise's history, and brought The Addams Family into the mainstream. To this day, the two films remain a staple in the family film genre and are instant recommends from nostalgic young adults and older fans alike.
Sir Anthony Hopkins Was Almost Uncle Fester
Uncle Fester may be a hunched man who has the ability to spew electricity but he's also a dreamer with an open heart for love. Christopher Lloyd plays the part to perfection and shows the complexities of Uncle Fester beautifully.
However, Lloyd almost didn't get the part. It's been reported that Sir Anthony Hopkins was offered the role but he turned it down!
Hair & Makeup Took Hours To Apply
While it may not look it, it actually took the actors plenty of hours to get into character. Playing someone who enjoys darkness and despair, there's a certain level of spookiness that goes into a character both physically and mentally. In an interview, Christopher Lloyd (Uncle Fester) and Carol Kane (Grandmama) told BuzzFeed that they were in hair and makeup for three hours.
But the one person who had the most work done was Angelia Huston (Morticia). Screenwriter Paul Rudnick said, "To capture that sort of Addams essence, they did develop a certain hair and makeup and lighting technique to give [Morticia] that wonderfully, unearthly glow."
Fans Think Tim Burton Secretly Directed The Movies
The first Addams Family Movie was released in 1991, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (director of all three Men In Black films) and Dave Payne. The sequel, Addams Family Values was also directed by Sonnenfeld. The decision to go with Sonnenfeld and Payne paid off but fans were shocked production didn't go with someone more notable like Tim Burton.
Burton's entire M.O. is directing eerie and visually unique films that all have his personal touch. With creepy and kooky hits like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands to his name, it wasn't a stretch to think that Burton had some sort of involvement in The Addams Family. To this day, many fans believe that Burton filmed both movies, even though he had nothing to do with the franchise.
Anjelica Huston Needed A Corset To Become Morticia
Angelica Huston portrayed an impeccable Morticia. From the way she glided down that mansion's halls to the way she spoke to Gomez with such ion, no one could have done what Huston did. To prepare for the role, Huston studied Grey Gardens to feel the essence of what it was like to live in a decaying mansion.
In an interview, the director said Morticia was one of the hardest roles to nail because of her shape, saying that "we lashed Anjelica into a metal corset that created this hips-and-waist thing I've never seen any woman have in reality." And because of the shape of the corset, Huston couldn't relax when she was dressed as Morticia.
The Real Meaning Of Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss
In The Addams Family, Abigail Craven was Fester's fake doctor, Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss. After finding Fester in the Bermuda Triangle, she decides to take him in as her own son, name him Gordon, and use him to her advantage. After realizing he's suffering amnesia, she uses him to get back at the Addams family and take their fortune. To get into the Addams' house, Abigail pretends to be Dr. Greta Pinder-Schloss.
What's hilarious about this fake name is that when you translate both German words together, it comes of as "nuthouse." To put it mildly, even Abigail knew she was a nut job!
Morticia's Eyes Always Got Special Lighting
It's hard not to be inspired by Morticia after watching both Addams Family movies — even the recent animated movie! Aside from her glowing personality that's self-assured, confident, and intoxicating, her looks are just stunning. Morticia keeps it simple in black clothing, red lipstick, and, enticing eyes.
Knowing how important Morticia's look was, Huston's eyes were actually illuminated in most scenes. Watching the films again, it's hard not to notice that there's always a white beam going across Morticia's face, which only adds to the irony and beauty of the character.
Carol Kane Vs. Judith Malina
In The Addams Family, actress Judith Malina played Grandmama. Grandmama is the stereotypical witch we all think about come Halloween. She loves playing around with spells and is good at fortune-telling. As great of a job as Malinda did in the first movie, both directors were looking for someone else for Addams Family Values. This is where Carol Kane comes in.
Since Kane already knew a few of the cast and had an instant connection to the group, Kane was asked to the second movie instead of Malina. "It was just nice to be a part of that group that I already loved," Kane said.
Wednesday & Joel Didn't Have Chemistry Off-Set
In the sequel Addams Family Values, Wednesday and Pugsley are shipped away to summer camp. Much to their annoyance, the siblings are forced to become "normal" and the group without scaring everyone. Wednesday is, of course, disturbed at the idea of fraternizing with the other girls and stays to herself. That is until she meets Joel Glicker, played by David Krumholtz.
Wednesday and Joel instantly connect and start innocently dating. They share a kiss on-screen but it wasn't as smooth as it was for the characters. Krumholtz explained that Christina Ricci (Wednesday) complained about his 15-year-old "peach fuzz" above his lip, which made him "self-conscious."
The Studio Wanted Cher To Be Morticia
When fans really think about it, Cher would have been a perfect Morticia. She has the look and deep voice down to a tee — and she's not even in character half the time! However, those behind The Addams Family wanted the movies to be more of a "whos who" kind of film.
In an interview, the director said, "The studio wanted Cher but we felt that would unbalance the film...we didn't want it to be about stars," which is why Angelica Huston (their first pick) was cast as Morticia.
Christopher Lloyd Was Scared To Play Uncle Fester
With an actor as incredible as Christopher Lloyd, it's shocking to think he was nervous to play a certain character but that was the case with Uncle Fester. According to BuzzFeed, Lloyd grew up reading the cartoons and Uncle Fester was his favorite character. When he got called in to play Fester, he was worried he wasn't doing the character justice.
After a few tries, Lloyd said he was called into a meeting where he swore he would be recast but it turned out to be a meeting about makeup. The actor said: "They thought the prosthetics were limiting my facial expressions, so we chucked the prosthetics... and I was very, very relieved." Lloyd ended up playing Uncle Fester brilliantly, and the character has since become one of his most iconic roles to date.
