Luis Guzmán Is Ideal as Gomez Addams

A few days ago the first photos from the upcoming streaming TV series Wednesday, based on Charles Addams's classic single panel cartoon The Addams Family were released. Almost immediately on social media sites there were unfavourable comparisons of Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams to John Astin (in the classic TV show) and Raul Julia (in the feature films of the Nineties). Fortunately, a number of Addams Family fans defended Mr. Guzmán. I am one of those people who is very happy with him being cast as Gomez.

As portrayed in Charles Addams's cartoons, Gomez Addams was short, squat, and not conventionally handsome. Even after the classic TV series debuted in 1964, in the cartoons Gomez continued to be short and squat. Of course, this was a sharp contrast to the TV series, on which Gomez as portrayed by John Astin was above average in height, slender, and handsome. Here it must be pointed out that, despite the success of the TV series, Gomez's appearance was not changed in Charles Addams's cartoons. He remained short and tubby and not what one would usually consider handsome.

The movies of the Nineties (The Addams Family and Addams Family Values) would follow the TV show's example in the casting of Gomez. Raul Julia was tall, slender, and handsome. While both John Astin and Raul Julia did superb jobs of playing Gomez--he remains an iconic character with good reason, their appearances did differ from Gomez as portrayed in Charles Addams's cartoons.

Now I can understand why those familiar with only the TV show or the movies might not be pleased with the casting of Luis Guzmán as Gomez. That having been said, for those of us who are huge fans of the cartoons, his casting is ideal. The fact is that Luis Guzmán looks much more like Gomez in the cartoons than either John Astin or Raul Julia. He is below average in height. He has a stout build. And  I personally think Mr. Guzmán's face looks much more like Gomez as he was portrayed in the cartoons.

Miles Millar, co-creator of the TV series Wednesday, has said of the show, "It's not trying to be the movies or the '60s TV show." Given this, it makes perfect sense that they would cast as actor who looks more like Gomez in Charles Addams's original cartoons. As for myself, I have always admired Mr. Guzmán's work and I think he will do a fantastic job as Gomez Addams. I honestly don't think they could have cast the role any better.