Orion Pictures 'Really Wanted' Cher To Play Morticia In 1991's The Addams Family
The 1990s Addams family movies are generally considered the best entries in the franchise (even if "Wednesday" is giving them a good run for their money), and for good reason. Sure, the jokes are hilarious — who would've thought that a couple of kids playing with a guillotine could be so funny — but the movie's true charm is the cast's chemistry. Whether Pugsley (James Workman) and Wednesday (Christina Ricci) are taking on girl scouts or Gomez (Raúl Juliá) and Fester (Christopher Lloyd) are enjoying a heartfelt reunion, it's heartwarming to see the morbid, eccentric family have each other's backs.
Of course, all of the family's interactions are fun, but there's one duo that truly takes the cake: Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez Addams, a devoted couple who are so passionately in love with each other that sparks fly whenever the pair is on screen. To be fair, even across other iterations, the Addams parents have always been infatuated with each other. But Huston and Juliá brought an unparalleled level of dynamism to the role; Uncle Fester was no longer the only Addams to play with electricity.
It might be difficult (if not impossible) to imagine anyone playing Morticia and Gomez as enchantingly as Huston and Juliá, but the actors weren't actually Orion Pictures' first pick. As director Barry Sonnenfeld told Variety, the studio was eager for Cher to take on the Addams matriarch role; he couldn't remember who they had picked to play Gomez. Still, when Sonnenfeld pushed for his version of the casting, Orion relented — clearly to the benefit of the film.
Cher had recently proved herself as an on-screen witch
Even though Huston was undoubtedly the right pick to play Morticia, it's easy to see why Orion was so set on Cher. Even today, the singer resembles cartoonist Charles Addams' original depictions of the character; at a quick glance, her cheekbones look strong enough to cut steel. But there might've been another reason that Orion had so much faith in Cher.
Several years before "The Addams Family" was released, Cher had taken central stage in the goofy supernatural flick "The Witches of Eastwick." She played Alex Medford, an unwitting witch who managed to accidentally form a coven with her friends and summon Mr. Not-So-Right. Given the fact that "The Witches of Eastwick" would become so well-loved (it's even managed hit Hollywood's most recent measure of enduring success — a remake is in the works), it's no surprise that Orion would look to the movie's star when casting their own witchy heroine.
Ironically, Anjelica Huston was originally in the running to play Alex, but a botched audition kept her from landing the role. Still, that evidently didn't keep Sonnenfeld from fighting to cast her as mama Addams, a decision that we're all better off for.