In the Netflix series “Wednesday,” Jenna Ortega takes center stage with her captivating portrayal of Wednesday Addams. Although there’s no question that Ortega managed to steal the spotlight as the titular character, the series also introduces a variety of intriguing and colorful characters from the extensive universe of the beloved “The Addams Family” franchise.
Perhaps the most unique of these characters is Thing (Victor Dorobantu), a disembodied hand stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster, who is sent by Morticia and Gomez Addams (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán, respectively) to watch over Wednesday at Nevermore Academy. Despite being no more than a hand, Thing is surprisingly expressive and active, which meant that “Wednesday” visual effects supervisor Tom Turnbull had to find an actor who could accurately depict all of Thing’s erratic hand gestures and movements. In an interview with GoldDerby, Turnbull revealed that the “Wednesday” team actually narrowed the choice down to three top candidates to be interviewed by show creator Tim Burton. Intriguingly, the finalists just so happened to share the same career.
“It turned out they were all magicians,” Turnbull said. “Christopher Hart, who played Thing [in the 1990s] was also a magician. So we didn’t go out looking for magicians, but that’s just how it worked out!” In the end, the role went to magician Victor Dorobantu, who certainly gave an impressive performance despite using only one hand for the entire series.
It was important to find the perfect performer to bring Thing to life
While it might seem a little redundant to go through so much effort for an absurd character like Thing, Victor Dorobantu’s incredibly expressive hand gestures ended up becoming essential to “Wednesday” — since Thing becomes one of the best characters of the record-breaking Netflix series.
Originally sent to spy on Wednesday and make sure she was doing alright in her new school, Wednesday eventually catches Thing and forces him to assist her in her investigations across campus. Thus, this silly little hand becomes her partner-in-crime for the majority of the series, helping her to solve mysteries, talking her through high school melodrama, and even punching some bad guys during a hectic chase sequence. In many ways, Thing becomes Wednesday’s closest friend and confidant during the first season of “Wednesday,” and as such, it’s easy to see why the visual effects team was so high on performers who specialized in sleight of hand.
Though it’s certainly hilarious that the role of Thing attracted a swarm of magicians, perhaps that unusual background was necessary in order to make this odd little appendage one of the best things about “Wednesday.”
Read More: https://www.looper.com/1320444/wednesday-top-choices-thing-full-magicians/
