‘Wednesday Luis Guzmán Ranks His Role as Gomez Addams in the Top 3 of His Career

Netflix‘s Wednesday gives the iconic macabre family a Latin spin with actors Luis Guzmán and Jenna Ortega in the leading roles of Gomez and Wednesday Addams. Guzmán has had a long recognizable career in Hollywood, giving Gomez a cartoon-accurate version compared to Raul Julia’s famous big-screen take. But the actor reveals playing the family patriarch ranks among his favorite roles in his career.

Gomez Addams has a murder mystery and Latin origins in ‘Wednesday’

Guzmán’s version of the patriarch in Wednesday somewhat differs from what die-hard fans may remember. The character is still the loving father figure to his children, even giving Wednesday unique nicknames. Gomez is also still very much in love with his wife, Morticia. But Wednesday reveals the character has a complex past of being suspected of murder.

As Wednesday uncovers the mysteries of Jericho, she also learns about what her parents were hiding from her. She confronts them about her father being accused of killing Garrett Gates at Nevermore during the Rave’N dance. The entire episode is dedicated to a deep dive into Gomez and Morticia’s youth and what happened 25 years ago.

Fans find the storyline a nice added touch and a fun deviation from what fans know about the matriarch and patriarch. It displays their true love for one another and gives more clues to the bigger mystery. Wednesday also gives Gomez and the Addams family Latin roots.

Fans will pick up on a few Latin cultural details throughout Wednesday. They stem from Gomez Addams, whose family initially migrated from Mexico, beginning with his ancestor Goody Addams. Netflix’s Wednesday seamlessly integrated Latin culture, and is why Guzmán ranks his role as Gomez as one of his top three.

Luis Guzmán was proud to play a Latino version of Gomez for ‘Wednesday’

For Still Watching Netflix’s Taste Buds edition, Wednesday actors Guzmán and Ortega share their favorite dishes from their culture. Guzmán is Puerto Rican, while Ortega is Puerto Rican and Mexican. While trying delicious food, the two actors break down how important it was to play Latino versions of the Addams family characters.

Ortega explains she did not have much Latin representation on screen growing up. Playing a Latina-based Wednesday gives young girls a chance to “be seen.” The actor asked Guzmán where he would rank his role as Wednesday’s Gomez in his career.

“Oh man, I would rank Gomez, at this point, in my top three,” revealed Guzmán. The actor explains he grew up watching The Addams Family series and then watched Raul Julia, who is also a “boricua.”

“And to get that call that day from Tim Burton saying, ‘Would you be Gomez?’ I still get goosebumps. I mean, it’s something that you grew up with, and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Wow, you’re there doing it,” explained the actor. “But really, what I loved about it, besides just being Gomez, this was written so well for us. I was just so, so, so proud to be this Gomex character.”

The actor is infamous for his many supporting roles in his career

When first hearing Guzmán’s name, fans will remember more than a few of his on-screen roles. The actor has been able to play a variety of roles in his career spanning 40 years. While playing supporting roles, he is often recognized for his role as Maurice “T.T.” Rodriguez in Boogey Nights from 1997.

He also played supporting roles in The Bone Collector, Magnolia, The Count of Monte Cristo, the comedy movie Keanu and many more. Guzmán has also had a long career on the small-screen before Wednesday. One of his more prominent roles was as Raoul “El Cid” Hernandez in Oz. He had roles in How to Make It in America, John from Cincinnati, and played José Gonzalo Rodríguez Gacha in Narcos. Shameless fans will recognize him as Mikey O’Shea.

Fans will have to wait and see if Guzmán will return for Wednesday Season 2. The series is available to stream on Netflix.