‘Wednesday’ Actor Joy Sunday’s Favorite Disney Movie Was Released 60 Years Ago
Everyone has their favorite Disney movie, and for Wednesday actor Joy Sunday, it’s The Sword in the Stone. The 1963 animated classic tells the story of King Arthur as a boy and his beginnings as one of history’s greatest heroes. But in the Tim Burton–directed Netflix series Wednesday, Sunday’s Bianca Barclay has a heroic tale all her own.
Joy Sunday plays Bianca in the Netflix series ‘Wednesday’
Viewers first meet Sunday’s Bianca while Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) receives a tour of her new school, Nevermore Academy, from her perky roommate, Enid (played by Emma Myers). Bianca is the coolest girl in school and takes a strong disliking to Wednesday — a human game-over to all things popular and preppy.
But Bianca’s creature status as a Siren gives her story a strong backbone. Able to control people’s minds through song, sirens are powerful creatures of lore. And Bianca’s siren abilities lead fellow Nevermore student Xavier (played by Percy Hynes White) to break up with her after suspecting she has used her siren song to keep him in love with her. He swiftly falls for Wednesday when she arrives, causing discord between Wednesday and Bianca.
And though it’s easy to cast Bianca as a villain, her past soon begins to take shape, and the siren is not who she seems.
Joy Sunday loves the Disney movie ‘The Sword in the Stone’
In an interview for Seventeen, Joy Sunday reveals some of her favorite things — a collection that leans into classics throughout literature and mythology. Apparently an avid reader, Sunday introduces a tattered copy of Aesop’s Fables and calls it a “foundational book.” A favorite from her childhood, the collection of tales makes the actor feel “like a walking morality play” (appropriate for Bianca, aka Brandy Jane).
Next, Sunday waves a VHS copy of the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone in its bulky late-‘80s/early-’90s plastic case. A classic in packaging alone, the movie is a beloved retelling of the story of King Arthur as he comes to recognize his destiny.
“This is probably one of my favorite Disney movies,” she says, staring lovingly at the item. “It’s about someone who has that faith in themselves and … has the world against him and just works his way up. And I think I really relate to that.”
Among Sunday’s other essentials are another classic, The Lord of the Rings, and Lisi Harrison’s book series, The Clique, from which the actor says she gained inspiration for her Wednesday role as Bianca.
What does ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 have in store for Bianca?
Following its successful debut on the streamer in November 2022, Wednesday already has season 2 set in (head)stone(s). Netflix announced the sophomore installment on January 6 after the series became one of the most successful for the platform, clocking over 1.237 billion hours viewed in the show’s first 28 days, Hollywood Life reports.
As for Bianca, all signs point to an even more prominent role in Wednesday Season 2 after the first season’s final episodes saw her save Wednesday’s woeful backside. But that doesn’t mean the two teens will become best baddie buds.
“I really did enjoy the tension me and Wednesday share,” Sunday tells The Face of what to expect in Wednesday Season 2. “So I’d love to see a bit more tit-for-tat moving forward.”
The actor also mentions figuring out “what the heck is going on with Bianca’s family” in season 2, which might mean more about Bianca’s backstory.
And while waiting for Wednesday Season 2 has left fans yearning for more Nevermore, rest in peace that Wednesday would be so pleased.
