Today we will show you 15 interesting facts about the series “Wandinha” – Wednesday, released on November 23rd.
You must have come across this name several times in the last month, because this series, even with a short debut, broke several streaming records and became a global phenomenon.
Amidst so much success, it is very likely that the release of a 2nd season is just a matter of time.
The series has as its protagonist the teenager Wandinha Addams (Jenna Ortega), who goes to boarding school during her high school years after causing an incident at her old school, and arrived to show that the terrifying universe of the Addams family, already shown for generations, it continues to delight the public.
Stay with us, in this article we bring you 15 interesting facts about the series that you probably didn't know, as listed below:
1. The Wandinha Effect
As mentioned previously, the show has very little premiere time, and yet, it broke several records on Netflix and around the world. “Wandinha” became the most watched series on the streaming service in a week, surpassing the 4th season of Stranger Things, until then the platform's biggest success. Furthermore, “Wandinha” became the biggest English-language original release in Netflix history.
Did you think it would stop there? The success of the series was so much so that it boosted actress Jenna Ortega, who played Wandinha, and her previous works, such as “The Life After” (2021 film available on HBO Max), which returned to the top 10 of films watched in Brazil and Latin America. The film The Addams Family (1991) was resurrected in Brazil, also placing in the top 10 most watched films.
“Wandinha” also elevated the song “Bloody Mary,” by Lady Gaga, from the album “Born This Way”, played 429 million times on digital platforms (music apps) on November 26th, due to a montage made of the series' ball scene using the song on TikTok, the social network that helped the series achieve extraordinary success.
2. Directed by Tim Burton
The production is directed by Tim Burton, known for his work on dark films, such as “Edward Scissorhands” (1990) and “Corpse Bride” (2005). The director had already been invited to participate in The Addams Family franchise in 1991, but had to decline because he was working on “Batman Returns” (1992).
However, we can admit that Tim Burton was made for the Addams, due to the fact that he is always involved with productions with a more gothic or horror feel, in addition, of course, to his work on “Wandinha” be impeccable. Do you agree?
3. Wandinha's first appearance
What many don't know is that the Addams family is quite old, having first appeared in Charles Addams' comics, which mocked the American middle class, in the American magazine The New Yorker, back in the 1930s! But Wandinha first appeared only a few years later, in 1940, as an orphan girl jumping rope at night. Later, in 1944, the character officially appeared as the Addams' daughter.
4. Wandinha highlighted
We know that Wandinha and the Addams wear black and white clothes most of the time. However, outside the Addams mansion, everyone around Wandinha wears lighter or more colorful clothes, with the aim of making the protagonist always stand out. The best example is the Nevermore Academy uniform, which Wandinha's is darker than that of the other students at the boarding school.
5. Jenna Ortega – A very dedicated Wanda
Jenna Ortega, the actress who plays Wandinha, had to go through rigorous preparation to give us the perfect performance in the series. This preparation involved cello, German, archery, fencing and even canoeing lessons! Let's face it, all of this, together with Ortega's charisma, gave us a sensational Wandinha, right?
6. Eyes open!
We don't know if you noticed, but during the program, Wandinha simply doesn't blink! Jenna Ortega told Teen Vogue magazine that she accidentally stayed for an entire round without blinking. Upon seeing the result, director Tim Burton loved it, and asked the actress to maintain this characteristic for the rest of the series, to convey some of the show's terror to the character.
7. “Wandinha”
costumesAmerican pop singer Billie Eilish was the inspiration for the modern streetwear style clothes in the series. Another interesting fact is that director Weems' (Gwendoline Christie) costume is based on the character Melanie, protagonist of the film “The Birds“(1963), produced by suspense genius Alfred Hithcock.
Wandinha often appears with her hair in two braids, in addition to always having beautiful bangs. Most of her clothes are actually from well-known brands like J. Crew and Zara, and her boots are Dr. Martens.
The costumes were made with shiny materials, such as leather, to highlight black, the predominant color in the pieces, almost always contrasting with white clothes.
Wandinha's most classic outfit (the dress she wears in the opening of the series) is a homage to the main costume that Christina Ricci wore, in the 1991 version of Wandinha Addams. It consists of a black dress, white collar and mini floral print.
8. Wandinha X Wednesday
About the name of our protagonist, here's something peculiar: Wandinha is known by that name only here in Brazil. This change was made to make pronunciation easier for the public. Its original name is Wednesday, chosen because of an old children's song called Monday's Child, which says that children born on Wednesday are full of afflictions.
“Wandinha”, was written with “w” precisely to get closer to the character's original name, since in the past her name was written with “v”.
9. The Dance
Probably the most memorable scene in the series is at the Rave’N dance, where Wandinha dances to the song “Goo Goo Muck”, by The Cramps. The dance went viral on the internet, mainly due to a clipping of the scene made on TikTok. Jenna Ortega said that she created the choreography herself, and was inspired by goth dance steps in clubs from the 80s to do so.
10. Christina Ricci
Continuing our curiosities, we have that Christina Ricci, interpreter of Professor Thornhill, has played Wandinha in the past. That's right! The actress played the Addams' daughter during the 2 most well-known productions of the Addams family: “The Addams Family” and “The Addams Family 2”, and returns as an important character in “Wandinha”.
11. The Little Hand
Most people think that the iconic little hand was made with the help of computer graphics, but what they don't imagine is that a real person was hired to bring the severed hand to life. The person responsible for the little hand is the illusionist Victor Dorobantu, who already had tattoos on his hand that gave the impression of a severed limb.
12. Series scenarios
A curious fact is that the series was recorded in 70 different scenarios. However, a place that may be familiar to some viewers is Escola Nunca Mais, whose setting is the Cantacuzino Castle (located in Romania), which has already been used for other series, such as “Gilmore Girls”, “You”, “Pretty Little Liars” ; and “Vampire Diaries”. Did you get the reference?
13. Gargoyles
A detail of the program is that the faces of the gargoyles were designed so that they always matched what was happening during the scenes, varying between sad and happy.
14. In memory of Charles Addams
The cast of “Wandinha” was chosen to resemble as much as possible the characters present in the comics by Charles Addams (the creator of the Addams Family). The best example of this similarity is Gomez (Luis Guzmán), father of Wandinha and Feioso, whose choice of actor was somewhat criticized by the public.
15. References and Easter Eggs
“Wandinha” is full of references and Easter eggs from films from the 90s, such as the famous finger snap, as well as a reference to “Carrie: The Stranger”, during the red paint bath that the students at Escola Nunca More take. In fact, “Never Again”, is an allusion to a well-known poem by Edgar Allan Poe: “The Raven”, in which the phrase is repeated by this bird.
The 1st season of Wandinha has 8 episodes, each lasting, on average, 50 minutes. The series is available to watch on Netflix.
The 2nd season has already been confirmed by the streaming platform, but the release date has not yet been announced.
Want to know more about “Wandinha“? This article about elenco de Wandinha might interest you!
