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Jenna Ortega is back again as Wednesday Addams in season 2 of the Netflix series Wednesday. While the fans get immersed in the new plot twists and the chaos, let us take you back to the season 1 scenario where Christina Ricci, who can be recognized as Wednesday Addams for portraying the lead character in the 90s Addams Family, replaced Thora Birch in the rebooted version of Tim Burton’s series.
Thora Birch was supposed to play the only ‘Normie’ of Nevermore and Wednesday’s dorm mother, who also inclined to botany, Tamara Novak. However, after filming most of the initial part, she left the show when Ricci came in to take over the role. Although Birch’s character was scrapped, Ricci was given a new role as Marilyn Thornhill, who had similar characteristics.
Why Thora Birch Left Wednesday Season 1?
When Wednesday was announced in 2021, Deadline reported Thora Birch’s name among all the cast members who were going to feature in the series. However, later that year, a few months into the filming of season 1, Deadline once again reported that Birch had left the show and cited that there was a personal matter that needed her attention.
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Thora Birch as Enid in Ghost World (2001) pic.twitter.com/8FNWTXXxqI
— trin ☆ (@girlfromidwest) June 16, 2025
A rep from MGM production told the publication (via Screenrant), “Thora has returned to the States to attend to a personal matter and will not be returning to the production.” But almost a year later, Birch opened up about her exit and shed light on the scenario.
She told ET (via WRGZ), “That became such a fluid, moving situation artistically, creatively from episode to episode. I had filmed a certain amount, and there were some questions about how much more to go with that character, and there were just some changes and adjustments made. It didn’t work out that I would be able to go back, so they are finding their own solutions.”
On the other hand, it was quite surprising that Christina Ricci wasn’t a part of the whole cast from the beginning, given her past with the content of the show. However, when Birch left the show, it gave a perfect opening to the production team to cast her in the show. Although she doesn’t get to play Tamara Novak, Ricci portrays Marilyn Thornhill, who later becomes the villainous Laurel Gates, who tries and fails to kill Wednesday (Jenna Ortega).
Cristina ricci fue Wednesday cuando era mucho mas joven y ahora aparece también en “Merlina” en la nueva adaptación de Tim Burton. Amo pic.twitter.com/5J07CsYzN6
— Levi #Spoilers (@mothrfdragns) November 25, 2022
It’s really sad that Thora Birch didn’t get to become a part of this massive series, but we are thankful to the team for picking Christina Ricci instead. It became even more iconic. Wednesday season 2, part 1, is currently streaming on Netflix. If you haven’t started to watch it yet, it’s time.
But tell us, did you know about this small trivia about the Wednesday season 1?
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