How Heather Matarazzo became a ‘Wednesday’ fan before season two
Things aren’t looking that good for Wednesday Addams in season two, and much of that is courtesy of Judi Spannagel, the seemingly harmless character Heather Matarazzo brought to life in Wednesday.
While her downfall in the Netflix series stems from the fact that she undermined the psychic kid, it turns out that Matarazzo, ironically, was already a fan of Wednesday long before season two.
Season two of Wednesday has many recurring characters, including our deadpan darling, the titular Wednesday Addams. But a new addition who ensured hell broke loose in Nevermore and Jericho was Judi, saccharine with a fawning demeanour that’s more creepy than charming. She’s also second-in-command to Dr Fairburn’s executive assistant at the Willow Hill Psychiatric Facility.
The two characters do not really look eye-to-eye, and that’s very on brand for anyone who meets the Addams’ eldest daughter. But Judi took an instant dislike towards Wednesday, and by now, we all know why. However, in a recent conversation at Netflix’s fan event, Tudum, Matarazzo revealed having been a “huge fan of the first season” of Wednesday.
“I know Jenna Ortega from Scream, where we got to first work together, and I make it a point to support my fellow artists that I absolutely love and adore,” she explained. She was already a fan of Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Tim Burton. So, when she heard about the first season, she was truly excited to watch the show. “And I was not disappointed at all,” she chimed in.
Upon being asked how she came to portray Judi in Wednesday’s season two, the actor took a trip down memory lane. Since she has been a lifelong fan of the director and showrunners, when the opportunity came, she jumped on it. Speaking of what pulled her towards the role, she quipped, “When Tim Burton asks you to participate in his world, I don’t care if I’m playing the wallpaper, I’m going to say yes”.
She went on to extol Millar for giving Judi the extra depth and the surprises that probably no one really saw coming. Stressing her roles in coming-of-age classics like The Princess Diaries, Saved, Welcome to the Dollhouse, and even Wednesday, Matarazzo shared about her “affinity for the underdog and the misfit and the outcast”.
While Judi might have come across as a Wednesday adversary, which she obviously is, she is clearly a fan of the show, the characters, the story, and the crew. And considering she raised the stakes in just four episodes, what if she makes it to four more? As Matarazzo likes to put it in Wednesday, “even if you were considered dead, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily are gone”.