Few Netflix series have blown up in quite the way Wednesday did: the Addams Family reboot exec-produced by Tim Burton became the platform’s second most-viewed English-language series ever. Following a three-year wait since the creepy and kooky spin on the high-school mystery series debuted and turned Jenna Ortega into a household name, season two is almost here (naturally arriving in two parts, as is the case with the streamer’s most popular shows).
Isaac Ordonez – the 16-year-old actor who donned the striped shirts and knee-length shorts of Wednesday’s younger brother, Pugsley – returns for an expanded role in the second season, where this time he’s joining his sister at school, practising with his own expanding powers and generally being an outcast, even by Tim Burton standards.
NME met the latest Nevermore Academy alumnus to talk season two, massive guest stars, Star Wars stan-dom and more.
Hey Isaac! What can we expect from Pugsley in Wednesday season two?
Isaac Ordonez: “It was definitely a surprise to see how much more I was in it, like a big promotion. He’s got powers, he’s going to Nevermore, he makes a lot of friends and also [makes] connections with some not so good people. I will say that.”
Tim Burton has called Pugsley “an outcast among outcasts” this season. Is that a fair assessment?
“Very fair assessment. When he gets to Nevermore, he is quite lonely. He’s having a hard time making friends. I think even Tim… in a scene I did, he was like, ‘Oh, poor Pugsley,’ after we finished. ‘He reminds me of my younger self in school.’”
What can you say about the new cast this season, particularly Lady Gaga?
“I didn’t get to work with her, but she’s a great musical artist. They had her for such a brief time. I don’t even know what she did because I think I was just doing school on that day. They were being very secretive about what she was doing. It was very discreet in the script and then everyone was like [whispers], ‘Is Gaga on set? I heard Gaga was on set,’ and the assistant director was just like, “No… Well, maybe.”
Are there any other new characters you’re excited for people to see?
“When I mentioned I make friends with some of the wrong people, the main villain and I have a connection, I would say. Owen Painter is [the actor’s] name. I’m so excited for him. He worked hard on his character so I really hope things take off for him. He’s in a lot of prosthetics in the beginning of the season, so you guys won’t be able to see his face till towards the end. But, I hope things go great for him afterwards.”
The first season had a Harry Potter vibe – the magical school, the mythical characters, the mystery. Did you see those comparisons?
“Yeah, more so last season though, especially with the games they had: it reminded me of The Goblet Of Fire. And Harry Potter, after The Goblet Of Fire, it got quite dark.”
Could you see Wednesday being like Harry Potter, where we get a new story for these characters every year they return to school?
“Yeah, I think it is gonna be similar. We have our character trios, like Harry Potter has trios. There’s a new cast member around my age, her name’s Evie [Templeton]. We don’t have that many scenes together, she has way more with Wednesday. But, there is a little scene of Eugene [Moosa Mostafa] and her and me, and I hope that people see that and want more of it, so they make us a trio.”
Looking back, was there a particular movie that really got you excited about films and acting?
“I do think younger me really got into films when I saw Star Wars. I imagine it was Revenge Of The Sith, it might have been a different one. I know it was a prequel. That was like, ‘Woah!’ I had, like, five Star Wars birthdays.”
You’ve worked with a couple of Star Wars actors on Wednesday…
“Joonas [Suotamo, who plays Lurch in season two], he plays Chewbacca. And then Gwendoline Christie who plays Principal Weems [in season one], she’s Captain Phasma in the sequels. I forget sometimes, because you never see her face [as Phasma]… There are very [few] people I’d be starstruck around. Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor would probably be some of those people.”
You play electric guitar too…
“I always pick it up like twice, three times a week. I love rock, I love metal, so I hear those and I wanna play it. I’d say I’m decent, intermediate, probably. I’ve never been in a band. Right now it’s purely a hobby. But if I ever needed it for a film or a show of some sort I’d definitely go crazy on the guitar so I can nail it.”
What would your desert island album be?
“The first one that comes to mind is ‘Nevermind’, Nirvana, because every single song on that is good. ‘Ride The Lightning’ by Metallica, maybe. Maybe either Slipknot’s ‘Iowa’, their second album, or their very first. I don’t have a playlist for Pugsley but since he’s so chaotic, I think we could have similar tastes. He’d love the screaming.”
Do you listen to music in the make-up chair?
“My hair [stylist], her name was Sevlene [Roddy]. She was great, but she had a Nirvana shirt. I was like, ‘Oh, what’s your favourite song?’ She’s like, ‘I just like how it looks.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m getting you into Nirvana. We’re gonna finish this season and you’re gonna have a song that you like.’”
Have creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and executive producer-director Tim Burton mapped out the future of Wednesday?
“They haven’t told me, but I assume they’ve kind of got some things in the back of their heads lined up for certain characters, probably me included as well.”
‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Part 1 streams on Netflix from August 6. Part 2 streams from September 3