Appearing as Uncle Fester in Tim Burton’s Wednesday series on Netflix, Fred Armisen proved himself to be the perfect man for the role. The role of Uncle Fester was the final Addams Family character announced for the show, with Fester even being absent from Wednesday’s original trailer. At one point, it was rumored that Tim Burton’s longtime collaborator Johnny Depp would be cast in the role (via Metro).
Fred Armisen is best known as a comedic actor who had an eleven-year run on Saturday Night Live. Armisen is typically known as a character actor with supporting roles in Anchorman and Zoolander 2 and as the voice of Cranky Kong in the upcoming Super Mario Bros Movie. On the surface, Fred Armisen is a very atypical person to take on the role of Uncle Fester over a more well-known name such as Johnny Depp.
Shaving His Head For The Uncle Fester Role Proves Fred Armisen’s Dedication
Fred Armisen only appears as Uncle Fester in a guest starring role in Wednesday’s penultimate episode “If You Don’t Woe Me by Now.” However, despite only appearing in this single episode, Armisen showed immense dedication to the role by not only being willing to travel to the show’s shooting location in Romania but by opting to shave his head (via TVLine).
This was a similar route taken by Christopher Lloyd for the 1991 Addams Family movie, with Lloyd’s Uncle Fester the obvious comparison to Armisen’s. Fred Armisen’s performance as Uncle Fester also emphasized the zany and unhinged aspects of the character, not unlike Nick Kroll’s voice performance in the recent animated Addams Family films.
Will Fred Armisen Return As Uncle Fester In Wednesday Season 2?
Like Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez, it is incredibly likely that Fred Armisen will reprise his role of Uncle Fester for season 2 of Wednesday, perhaps in an expanded role. It is obvious through their interactions that Wednesday has a close relationship with Uncle Fester, which can be built upon. The second season can also introduce the key Addams Family members yet to be seen, such as Grandmama Addams and Cousin Itt.
When it was revealed that Fred Armisen was playing Uncle Fester in Wednesday, he may not have been the Fester everyone wanted, but he was indeed the Fester everyone deserved. Tim Burton could have easily called his friend Johnny Depp for some obvious stunt casting. Instead, a chance was taken with Fred Armisen, who has demonstrated real dedication and reverence for his performance as Uncle Fester. As a result, Wednesday is a better show because of it.
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