Christina Ricci returns to world of ‘The Addams Family’ in ‘Wednesday’
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Christina Ricci came to fame at just 10 years of age when she took on the role of Wednesday Addams in 1991’s “The Addams Family.” She gave the character a deadpan aura and the actress is still best-known for this sardonic wit. Ricci reprised the role in 1993’s “Addams Family Values,” where she solidified her take on the character, who was 12-13 years old in the movies, as the defining one. Three decades later, she returned to the world of “The Addams Family” in Netflix’s “Wednesday “— but not as Wednesday Addams.
Instead, that role went to Jenna Ortega, who is re-defining the character, now age 16, with her uber-popular performance. The comedy series sees Wednesday enrolling at Nevermore Academy. Ricci plays Marilyn Thornhill — Nevermore Academy’s science teacher and Wednesday’s dorm mother. At first, it seemed like Marilyn would be a neat little cameo-like role for Ricci that would satisfy fans of the original movies. But as the series went on, it became clear that the show, which was directed in part by Tim Burton, was intent on putting Ricci’s acting talents to good use. By the season finale, Ricci was a core part of the show’s runaway success. Spoilers ahead.
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Ricci’s Marilyn was revealed to be Laurel Gates, a descendant of Joseph Crackstone. It was Laurel who manipulated Tyler (Hunter Doohan) into killing his victims, which was part of her scheme to revive Joseph and get rid of all outcasts. Laurel is eventually successful in her endeavor, killing Gwendoline Christie‘s Principal Weems in the process, but is later defeated by Wednesday and Enid.
Ricci excels in what is essentially a dual role. As Marilyn, Ricci is colorful and quirky and shines in contrast to the darkness and dinginess of Nevermore. Then, Ricci has the time of her life playing the villainous and vicious Laurel. Ricci shows she can play the sweet and sour just as well as the other and again proves she is an accomplished actress. And critics agree.
Samantha Graves (Collider) called Ricci “a brilliant actress” and thought her villain arc in the show is the “best part” about “Wednesday.” She wrote: “Ricci exceeds well at playing intense and wacky characters (Misty Quigley anyone?), so to see her step into a similar role here is brilliant, and she does it masterfully.” She continued: “Perhaps what made the twist and ultimate reveal work so well is how good Ricci is at building her characters and her own magnetic charm that makes everyone she plays have a likability about them. Ricci’s performance as Thornhill was no exception. Her quirky, bright nature is such a stark juxtaposition to Wednesday’s (and the rest of the school’s) more dreary, broodish vibe.”
Brian Tallerico (The Playlist) observed: “There’s a supportive adult ally in Marylin Thornhill, played excellently by Christina Ricci, who probably compared notes with Ortega between takes—Ricci played Wednesday in a pair of ’90s films.”
Jordan Williams (Screen Rant) observed that it was a welcome return for Ricci to the franchise and that the actress has a “talent for playing sadistic characters.” He wrote: “In the world of ‘The Addams Family,’ Ricci has now gone from beloved, sadistically-minded Wednesday to the character’s biggest foe, which is a great way to pass the torch from Ricci to Ortega.”
That last line from Williams is key. It’s this narrative of Ricci passing the torch to Ortega that could help propel Ricci further up our odds list in the Best Comedy Supporting Actress category (more on that later). Because here’s what Ricci’s role really means: a legacy actor, who brings with them the millions of fans of the original movies, returning to the same world she found her stardom in to support a new, upcoming star in a series that is also building its own fandom.
This combination of the old and the new makes for a powerful narrative and voters may feel the same way that fans do — that Ricci’s involvement is a touching tribute to a proven actress who has rightly earned rave reviews for her performance in the show. It’s a full-circle moment for Ricci — and an Emmy nomination would be a fitting way to recognize that moment. Voters won’t have another chance to do so, either, as her character died at the end of season 1, so those filling out ballots will want to take this opportunity to reward this actress and this narrative while they can.
Currently, however, Ricci is well outside of our predicted eight nominees for Best Comedy Supporting Actress: Sarah Goldberg (“Barry”), Lisa Ann Walter (“Abbott Elementary”), Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”), Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”), and, in first place, Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”). Among the other featured funny women hoping for a bid are Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”) and Jessica Williams (“Shrinking”). Plus, Ricci would have to compete against her own “Wednesday” co-star Christie, who is also on 100/1 odds.
However, with two previous Emmy bids, Ricci has already proved that she is Emmy-caliber so there is no first-time nomination trickery to navigate. In 2006, she was nominated for Best Drama Guest Actress for “Grey’s Anatomy” but lost out to Patricia Clarkson (“Six Feet Under”). Ricci was nominated again last year for Best Drama Supporting Actress for “Yellowjackets” but she lost that race to Julia Garner (“Ozark”).
She may have lost both of these bids, but the actors’ branch clearly appreciates and are willing to nominate this actress, who has worked amongst them for over three decades. This would be a career nomination as well as a narrative nomination for Ricci.
Plus, let’s not forget about the aforementioned “Yellowjackets.” The fact that she is also in the awards mix for another popular show helps immensely. Her name will stick in voters’ minds as she strives to make Emmy history with nominations for both shows.
Appearing in two talked-about series can be a big boost to potential nominees. Gillian Anderson won Best Drama Supporting Actress in 2020 for “The Crown” while also starring in the beloved “Sex Education.” Fiona Shaw reaped dual bids for “Killing Eve” (Drama Supporting Actress) and “Fleabag” (Comedy Guest Actress) in 2019 thanks to the popularity and critical success of both series. And Christine Baranski earned the exact same pair of nominations as Shaw for “The Good Wife” and “The Big Bang Theory” in 2015.
So Ricci’s roles in both “Wednesday” and “Yellowjackets” will help her out with a potential bid here. Even if she doesn’t get both nominations, the popularity of one may help the other. And her return to the world of Wednesday Addams is too good a story for Emmy voters to miss, this writer thinks.
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