Warning: Spoilers for Wednesday Season 2!
After admitting he never got to meet the iconic Mother Monster Lady Gaga while filming Season 2 of Wednesday — “You make one hate crime joke and then you get asked every interview,” — Hunter Doohan is now manifesting another legend to join the show: Joan Cusack.
“Oh my God. That’s such a good question,” he told Gayety with a laugh.
“I mean, I think this counts as a gay icon. I’ve been saying I want Joan Cusack in the show so bad, just her portrayal of Debbie, ‘don’t I deserve love and jewelry?”’
Of course, Cusack famously played Debbie Jellinsky in Addams Family Values (1993), the hilariously unhinged “black widow” who marries Uncle Fester for his fortune. The role cemented her as a camp icon, delivering both comedy and chaos that fits perfectly into the Wednesday universe.
Hunter even had a vision for how Cusack could tie into Tyler’s story:
“I don’t know. Tyler has a lot of mommy issues, so I feel like that’s the obvious pathway there.”
And yes, he clarified—with emphasis—that he means Mother. Because let’s be real: Joan Cusack is Mother. We need this casting to happen. In case you need a refresher, here’s your reminder of why.
This season on Wednesday, Tyler is drowning in family drama. Spoiler alert: his father is murdered, his long-lost mother turns out to be alive, the brain-munching zombie Slurp is actually his once-dead uncle, and, plot twist, he’s revealed to be a key member of the Addams family.
Owen’s Secret Arc and the Infamous Tongue-on-a-Stick
While Hunter was manifesting dream co-stars, Owen Painter shared how he first learned about the extent of his character’s storyline. He’s first introduced as a zombie named Slurp brought to life by Pugsley Addams electric abilities. But once Slurp escapes, his hunger for brains takes over, each bite bringing him closer to looking like a man again (enter Isaac Night).
“It took a minute, but when we got to Dublin, I kind of had a sit-down meeting with Alan [and] Miles, the showrunners, where they gave me a general arc and then they told me not to tell a soul, including everyone in the cast. And then I think Hunter immediately found out from someone and we were playing chicken with each other.”
The two recalled trading coded hints until eventually admitting they both knew.
Owen also spilled one of the best behind-the-scenes secrets of the season: his incredible makeup team.
“There’s an amazing physical tongue… they would have me open the mouth and then somebody would fly in a little tongue on a stick and you’d be sitting there with this thing coming out.”
“I don’t think we were licking people with it, but I wish.”
Hunter confessed he even had to react to the tongue prop once, but it did not make the show. “And then they brought out this tongue on the stick and I was like, ‘that’s what I was supposed to be reacting to?’ And I did not do it.
“That’s probably why it didn’t make the show. I was like, hmm, not really.”
Manifesting Camp Greatness
As for what’s next, Hunter isn’t ready to claim an “iconic” role outside of Wednesday just yet: “I think predetermining something, being iconic for yourself would be a little crazy.”
But with Joan Cusack on his vision board, the camp potential for future seasons couldn’t be clearer. Season 2 of Wednesday is streaming now on Netflix.
