Isaac Ordonez Shares His Experiences as Pugsley Addams on the Set of Wednesday
With its new take on The Addams Family, the Netflix series Wednesday quickly became one of the platform's all-time buzziest series, and for good reason.
Jenna Ortega is undeniably perfect as the titular Wednesday Addams, and we're equally enamored with the rest of the family, including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán as her parents and 13-year-old actor Isaac Ordonez as her little brother, Pugsley. The show also sees a brand-new interpretation for the younger Addams child, with Isaac being a fantastic fit. We had the pleasure of chatting with Isaac to learn all about his love of acting, his time on set and what's next, and he shared it all with us in the interview below.
Sweety High: When did you discover your passion for acting? Was there any specific a-ha moment that made you realize it was the path for you?
Isaac Ordonez: The first time I saw Star Wars and Jurassic Park, I was 3, and my mind was blown! I really wanted to be in those movies. Later, when I was about 6, I was trying different things, from soccer to jujitsu. None of them piqued my interest except acting and I really enjoyed it.
(Photo credit: Josh A Katz)
SH: Were you a big Addams Family fan before you auditioned for Wednesday?
IO: Before auditioning for Wednesday, I had watched The Addams Family (1991), Addams Family Values (1993) and The Addams Family animated movie (2019). I was a fan of the '90s movies.
SH: What is it like to bring new life to a character who's existed for more than 80 years? Did you feel like there was any extra pressure there because of the series' existing history?
IO: It felt really cool to play a well-known character. Before filming, I was nervous to work with such big actors and Tim Burton, although after getting to know everyone during filming, that all faded away.
Also read about: Add These Pieces to Your Wardrobe to Rock the WednesdayCore Look
SH: Did you feel that you were able to put your own spin on the character?
IO: Yes. I felt that in this version of The Addams Family, Pugsley was the odd one out of an odd family, and more vulnerable to emotions, unlike his family.
SH: Do you have any similarities with Pugsley? In what ways are you the same, and in what ways are you different?
IO: Similarities between us are we both are strange, "out of the ordinary" kind of people, both of us have older sisters and have been bullied at school.
The differences between the two of us are that I don't use explosives, have never had a pet squid or spider and, lastly, I am a picky eater, while Pugsley is not.
(Photo credit: Josh A Katz)
SH: What's been your favorite moment from the set so far?
IO: When I was filming the scene where I fall out of the school locker with an apple in my mouth; the apple flew out of my mouth straight up where the camera could see it and dropped back down when I fell. It was like something in Looney Tunes.
Also read about: 71 Memorable Quotes From Netflix's New Wednesday Series to Use as Your Next Instagram Captions
SH: Congrats on getting a second season of Wednesday! Do you know anything yet about what's next? Anything you can share?
IO. There's a Season 2?!? Just kidding. Currently, I only know as much as you guys that are reading this right now, but I can't wait!
(Photo credit: Josh A Katz)
SH: What's something you're super proud of right now?
IO: Being a successful cat parent of my fur baby, Julien.
SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
IO: Thanks for reading this! Also, watch Wednesday on Netflix. It's a good show ;).
For more insights from the cast of Wednesday, click HERE to read our interview with Enid actress Emma Myers.