Wednesday Season 2: “With him, there’s always another reason,” Steve Buscemi on his character, Barry Dort

Wednesday is back. And she’s not the only one turning heads at Nevermore Academy this season. The halls are the most happening place now, especially with the arrival of a brand new principal. He’s Barry Dort. And on the surface, he’s all warm handshakes and school spirit. But you know how this world works. Just when someone smiles too much, you should probably check where their hands are.

Now, our leading lady doesn’t scare easy but something about Principal Dort just doesn’t sit right. Maybe it’s the way he talks about “outcast pride” with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for cult leaders. Or maybe it’s the fact that he can set things on fire with his fingers. Either way, he’s the kind of man who makes you think twice before accepting a compliment from him.

Everyone’s busy adjusting to the post-Weems era and Barry Dort might be adjusting things behind the scenes for his own reasons. Because in Wednesday’s world, no one is exactly what they seem. Especially not the man holding the keys to Nevermore.

Wednesday Season 2: Steve Buscemi on his character, Barry Dort

Barry Dort’s appearance in Season 2 feels almost too perfect. He steps in right when Nevermore needs stability. He’s friendly enough to win over parents, and he has that slightly awkward charm that makes people think he’s harmless. Except, he might be exactly the opposite. This is a man who can create fire, and that’s not exactly the kind of power you keep for roasting marshmallows.

The biggest red flag is that his version of “school pride” comes with a pretty strong “normies need not apply” vibe. He’s not building bridges between Outcasts and everyone else like Weems used to. He’s more like building walls.

In an interview with Deadline, he shared:

“I love that he has disdain for the tactics of Principal Weems. He’s constantly saying she was all about incorporating the Normies. No more Normies. He really has that Outcast pride. It was interesting that he wanted to abolish The Nightshades. With him, there’s always another reason, a nefarious reason that he’s doing the things that he’s doing, even though he really does love being an Outcast. It’s a weird dichotomy. And he wants Wednesday on his side. He loves Wednesday, and at the same time, he loves getting the Wednesday treatment, which means she’s just indifferent to.”

He is also quite manipulative. He threatened and dangled Bianca's scholarship over her head, and pushed her to use her powers for his own agendas. The man might smile like a friendly neighbor, but you wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be your worst enemy.

Steve Buscemi, in another interview with People, shared the inspiration behind his character, Barry Dort. He said it was based on Edgar Allan Poe. This idea came to both Tim Burton and Buscemi.

"He [Tim Burton] also gave me an Edgar Allan Poe action figure, and I think it was from his own collection because it wasn't brand new. It was like, 'Oh my god, he gave me one of his possessions.'"

In Wednesday Season 2, Barry Dort is shaping up to be one of the major characters and he is sure to keep you guessing all along the way.

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