Who did Thora Birch play in Wednesday​?

Thora Birch was cast as Wednesday’s dorm mother Tamara Novak but stepped down from the role before filming finished due to personal reasons.

Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Wednesday is a Netflix original series that premiered on 23rd November and is based on the character Wednesday Adams created by Charles Addams. The show revolves around the titular character and follows her journey after she entered Nevermore Academy. But things take a turn when at a point, Wednesday becomes the focal point and is involved with mysterious activities that take place around the school, as she works to solve them. The show features Jenna Ortega as Wednesday alongside a star-studded cast that includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luiz Guzman, Christina Ricci, and more.

Who did Thora Birch play in Wednesday?

Thora Birch was initially cast as Wednesday’s dorm mother Tamara Novak, who was also the only “normie” on the staff at Nevermore Academy in a series regular role. However, Birch left filming and the series before the show even aired with Deadline reporting that it was due to a personal issue. The actress had reportedly quit at the time without finishing her scenes and Deadline revealed that it was due to a family member’s illness.

Later, Birch revealed her decision to leave was not because of personal differences but instead because of complex reasons that involved creative differences. She told Entertainment Tonight “That became such a fluid, moving situation artistically, creatively from episode to episode. I had filmed a certain amount and there were some questions about how much more to go with that character and there were just some changes and adjustments made".

The producers of Wednesday later confirmed that the role wouldn’t be recast. Instead, they opted to introduce a completely new character that was played by Christina Ricci, who infamously played Wednesday Addams herself in the 1990s hit films. However, Ricci’s character, Marilyn Thornhill, did end up playing a similar role to what the writers had planned for Birch’s.

Who is Thora Birch?

Born March 11th, 1982, Thora Birch is an American actress, producer, and director who is well known for her performances as a child actor. So much so, that she rose to prominence during the 1990s for her roles in Paradise (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), and more. Her transition into more adult-oriented films was just as successful with Birch earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Enid Coleslaw in Ghost World (2001). She also thrived on the small screen with recurring roles on The Walking Dead, Parenthood, and more.

Furthermore, in 2022, Birch also made her directorial debut with a Lifetime television film, The Gabby Petito Story” and is set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Elmore Leonardo’s novel Mr Paradise.