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Steve Buscemi reveals that director Tim Burton gave him one item “from his own collection” as inspiration for his new Wednesday character
With Buscemi’s character, Nevermore Academy principal Barry Dort, being based on Edgar Allan Poe, he tells PEOPLE exclusively that Burton gave him an action figure of the famed poet
Wednesday season 2 is also a reunion for Buscemi and Burton, who previously worked together on the 2003 film Big Fish
Warning: This post contains spoilers from season 2 of Wednesday.
Steve Buscemi settled into his Wednesday character with a little help from director Tim Burton.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE ahead of the release of the dark comedy’s second season, Buscemi, 67, reveals that Burton, 66, gave him a special item “from his own collection” as a source of inspiration for Buscemi’s new character: Nevermore Academy’s new principal, Barry Dort.
Buscemi reveals he and Burton had a “mutual” idea to base Dort on Edgar Allan Poe — the 19th-century poet whose poem The Raven famously includes the word “nevermore” repeated several times, and who is immortalized as a statue on the grounds of Nevermore Academy.
“He also gave me an Edgar Allan Poe action figure, and I think it was from his own collection because it wasn’t brand new,” Buscemi says. “It was like, ‘Oh my god, he gave me one of his possessions.'”
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Tim Burton (L) and Steve Buscemi (R) at the global premiere of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ season 2, part 1 in London on July 30, 2025
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Wednesday is a reunion of sorts for Buscemi and Burton, who previously worked together more than 20 years ago.
Buscemi, who appeared in Burton’s 2003 film Big Fish, says he and the director “picked up where we left off.”
“It was really amazing. I just love the way he works, his process,” he gushes. “I love that he counts on actors a lot to bring stuff, so that’s always fun to work with a director that gives the actor a lot of responsibility.”
Buscemi says he was “nervous” to “enter this well-established world that people love so much,” but he felt good about it with Burton at the helm.
“It was exciting — a little bit intimidating, but mostly exciting,” he admits.
Buscemi says after he and Burton settled on Poe being the inspiration behind Dort, he was able to settle into the role, explaining, “Once we got the wig and the mustache, that was a great relief because it’s like, ‘Okay, I know who this guy is now.'”
Helen Sloan/Netflix
Steve Buscemi as Barry Dort in ‘Wednesday’
The actor also praises leading lady Jenna Ortega, who is back as Wednesday Addams herself.
He calls the young actress — who is also an executive producer on the show — “fabulous” and “a lot of fun” while also being “the consummate professional” who “knows that character inside and out.”
As someone who grew up as a big fan of the original The Addams Family show in the ’60s, Buscemi credits Burton and Ortega as having created a new iteration “that builds on the past and takes it in a new direction, but still has the core thing that we love about The Addams Family.”
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Wednesday is returning for season 2 on Netflix in two parts, first on Aug. 6 and then on Sept. 3.
Read the original article on People
