There’s a new Uncle Fester in town, and his name is Fred Armisen. Ahead of the arrival of the Addams Family reboot series Wednesday on Netflix, it was revealed that Armisen will have a special role as Fester Addams, uncle to Jenna Ortega’s titular Wednesday. Armisen almost looks unrecognizable with his physical transformation into the kooky uncle, though his portrayal goes much deeper than that with the classic versions of Fester influencing how he brought the popular character to life this time around.
In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Armisen was asked if he looked back at the previous incarnation of Fester as played by Christopher Lloyd in the 1990s movies. He revealed that he had in fact studied upon Lloyd’s performance, but went back further than that by giving just as much attention to the classic version of Fester as played by Jackie Coogan in the original TV show. The idea was to carry over what the previous actors had contributed as a way of honoring the history of character.
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Fred Armisen’s Fester Appeared in the Official Trailer
The series has not yet begun streaming on Netflix, as that is coming later this month, though Armisen in the role has previously been revealed. We saw our first look at Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester when the character popped up in an official trailer for Wednesday. Armisen also explained what it took to turn him into Fester, noting that he didn’t have to spend all that much time in the makeup chair making it a pretty simple transformation.
It’s all working out, as the fans embraced Armisen’s Fester after seeing him in the trailer. Armisen also responded to the positive response to his casting, finding himself to be just as excited as the fans based on their enthusiasm.
Wednesday will start streaming on Nov. 23, 2022.
