Christopher Lloyd Reveals Why He Loved Playing Fester Addams

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Christopher Lloyd Reveals Why He Loved Playing Fester Addams

As a fan of The Addams Family, I can wholeheartedly relate to Christopher Lloyd‘s excitement at playing Uncle Fester. Just like him, I too used to devour the Addams Family comic strips as a child, finding solace in the quirky, lovable character that was Fester. When he got the call to play Fester in a movie, it must have felt like a dream come true – a testament to the power of childhood fantasies.

Christopher Lloyd found immense pleasure in embodying a cherished childhood figure when he played the part of Fester Addams in Barry Sonnenfeld’s ‘The Addams Family’. As a youngster, Lloyd recounted to Variety, he used to delight in reading Charles Addams’ ‘Addams Family’ comic strips in The New Yorker. He was particularly captivated by Fester Addams, whom he described as tricky but not wicked. Decades later, the prospect of breathing life into this quirky yet kind-hearted and affectionate character was an enticing proposition for Lloyd.

“I really enjoyed it.

1991 marked the debut of Lloyd’s portrayal of Fester in “The Addams Family”, a family-friendly film that showcased an exceptional group of actors. Alongside Lloyd, Raul Julia played Gomez, Anjelica Huston took on Morticia, Christina Ricci starred as Wednesday, Jimmy Workman was cast as Pugsley, Judith Malina portrayed Grandmama, and Carel Struycken brought Lurch to life.

At first, it was tough to make Lloyd resemble Fester as he didn’t naturally look like the character. In a 2013 interview, Lloyd explained that the team applied prosthetics on his face to achieve the round appearance. However, there was still something amiss, causing Lloyd to fear he might be recast when director Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Paul Rudnick asked him to come to Paramount.

Upon reaching their office, there was a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Fester. He was round and plump, bald, and simply had that distinctive appearance. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Oh dear. This must be the person they’ve chosen to take my place.’

After witnessing a shared scene, Rudnick and Sonnenfeld shared with me their concerns about the prosthetics I was wearing. They mentioned these additions were hindering my ability to show a full range of facial expressions, and instead, they planned to use makeup to get the desired impact. Hearing this news left me “extremely, extremely relieved.”

Christopher Lloyd Revisits the Addams Family in Netflix’s Wednesday

Christopher Lloyd Reveals Why He Loved Playing Fester Addams

Lloyd reprised his role as Fester Addams in the 1993 film “Addams Family Values,” where Joan Cusack joined the cast as Fester’s love interest. Starting October 29, Paramount Home Entertainment will launch a 4K UHD edition of the movie, perfect for Halloween viewing. This release will come with a digital copy of the film and fresh bonus features, such as commentary by Sonnenfeld and Rudnick, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the movie.

Though Lloyd’s portrayal of Fester was the last time fans saw him in that role, he will once again step into the world of the Addams Family when Wednesday’s eagerly awaited second season premieres. Specifics about Lloyd’s character are yet to be disclosed; for now, we know that Fred Armisen plays Fester in the show. Lloyd joins Christina Ricci as the second member of the original Addams Family cast to make an appearance.

Presently, Lloyd is up for a Primetime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – his first nomination in 32 years – for his role as Larry Arbuckle in “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” on Hacks. In the past, Lloyd has garnered two Emmys for portraying an unusual character named Jim Ignatowski on Taxi, and another Emmy for a guest performance in Road to Avonlea.

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2024-08-24 22:31