When Emma Myers stepped onto the set of 'Wednesday' Season 2 in Prague last August, fans assumed she was just returning as Enid Sinclair—the bubbly, werewolf-adjacent best friend who stole hearts in Season 1. But by September, whispers turned to rumors: Myers was secretly auditioning for a second, far darker character. On November 24, 2025, at 10:15 AM Pacific, Netflix dropped the bombshell: Myers would play Aunt Ophelia, Wednesday Addams’ long-lost psychic aunt, in addition to Enid. The news didn’t just excite fans—it sent NFLX stock up 2.3% in after-hours trading, and #EmmaIsOphelia hit 1.2 million mentions per hour on X.
From Enid to Ophelia: A Transformation No One Saw Coming
Emma Myers, 23, isn’t just taking on a new role—she’s stepping into the shadow of Charles Addams’ original comics, where Aunt Ophelia was a barely-mentioned figure in 1940s panels. In Netflix’s version, she’s a woman who saw the Addams family’s near-destruction in 1898 and was locked away in the Gorgon Asylum for it. Her psychic visions are real. Her grief is ancient. And her connection to Morticia? Fractured. The twist? Myers, who played the bright-eyed, emotionally open Enid, now has to embody someone who speaks in riddles, moves like smoke, and carries centuries of sorrow in her eyes.
"She can be the girl who laughs in the hallway and the woman who whispers to ghosts in the same breath," said Tim Burton, director of four Season 1 episodes, in a November 23 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "That chemistry test in Prague? It wasn’t acting. It was possession."
Behind the Scenes: Budgets, Sets, and Legal Battles
Netflix didn’t just greenlight a new character—they built an entire world for her. Production added $15 million to the $120 million Season 2 budget, much of it going to Wētā FX in Wellington, New Zealand, for Ophelia’s hallucinatory visions, and to the physical construction of the Gorgon Asylum set at Barrandov Studios. The asylum, designed to look like a cross between a 19th-century psychiatric ward and a gothic cathedral, required 14 weeks of carpentry, stained glass installation, and fog machine calibration.
Legal clearance came only after negotiations with The Addams Family License Trust, the London-based entity controlling Addams’ intellectual property. The trust, managed by Tee and Co. Ltd., had previously resisted expanding Ophelia’s role beyond cameos. But after reviewing Myers’ test footage and the script’s emotional arc, they approved the adaptation on November 1, 2025.
Why This Casting Is a Masterstroke
Industry analysts at MoffettNathanson Research LLC believe Myers’ dual role could boost Season 2’s viewership by 18–22% over Season 1’s 1.05 billion hours. Why? Because it’s not just a gimmick—it’s narrative glue. Enid and Ophelia are two sides of the same coin: one represents the future Wednesday might choose (connection, warmth), the other the past she can’t escape (isolation, prophecy). Myers’ ability to toggle between them gives the show psychological depth rarely seen in teen horror-comedies.
"This isn’t a stunt," said Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, during the company’s November 24 earnings call. "It’s a promise: that we’ll reward artists who grow with our stories. Emma didn’t just audition for a part. She redefined what a character could be."
The Road to December 25, 2026
Principal photography wraps on February 14, 2026 in Prague. Ophelia’s scenes, shot between November 30 and January 15, 2026, will be layered with practical effects—floating candles, whispering portraits, and mirrors that reflect not what’s there, but what was. The character’s debut is set for Episode 4, titled 'The Séance Before Christmas', premiering globally on December 25, 2026 as part of Netflix’s holiday lineup. The timing is no accident: a Christmas séance, a family reunion that never was, and a ghost who remembers the future—it’s the perfect gothic fairy tale.
Previous contenders for the role? Hunter Schafer and even Jenna Ortega herself, who read for Ophelia during early script development. But neither had Myers’ range. And as fans quickly realized, there’s something hauntingly right about seeing the girl who smiled through the dark now become the one who whispers in it.
What This Means for the Addams Universe
This isn’t just about one season. Ophelia’s introduction opens doors: a potential prequel about the Gorgon Asylum, a spinoff centered on the Addams sisters’ estrangement, or even a deeper dive into the psychic lineage of the family. The comics never explored this. The 1990s films ignored it. Netflix is building a mythos.
And it’s all thanks to a 23-year-old actress from Naples, Florida, who didn’t just get a promotion—she inherited a legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Emma Myers’ dual role impact the story of Wednesday Addams?
Emma Myers’ portrayal of both Enid Sinclair and Aunt Ophelia creates a narrative mirror for Wednesday: Enid represents connection, empathy, and the possibility of a normal life, while Ophelia embodies inherited trauma, psychic isolation, and the weight of prophecy. This duality forces Wednesday to confront not just her family’s dark past, but the version of herself she might become if she fully embraces her powers—or rejects love entirely.
Why was Aunt Ophelia chosen for expansion now?
Aunt Ophelia appears only briefly in Charles Addams’ original 1940s cartoons, making her a blank slate for adaptation. With Season 1 establishing Wednesday’s core relationships, showrunners Gough and Millar needed a new familial force to destabilize her world. Ophelia’s psychic abilities and estranged bond with Morticia offer psychological depth and supernatural stakes that align with the show’s gothic tone while expanding its lore beyond the Addams mansion.
What’s the significance of the Gorgon Asylum in Ophelia’s backstory?
The Gorgon Asylum, built into the script as a 19th-century institution for "visionaries," symbolizes society’s fear of women who see too much. Ophelia was locked away in 1898 after predicting the Addams family’s near-annihilation—a prophecy that came true in a minor way during Season 1. Her asylum isn’t just a setting; it’s a metaphor for how female intuition has historically been pathologized, making her a tragic, feminist figure in the Addams mythos.
How much did Netflix spend on Ophelia’s storyline?
An additional $15 million was added to Season 2’s $120 million budget, bringing the total to $135 million. This covered the construction of the Gorgon Asylum set, Wētā FX’s psychic vision effects, Myers’ increased salary ($350,000 per episode), and legal fees paid to The Addams Family License Trust. The investment reflects Netflix’s confidence that Ophelia’s arc will drive subscriber growth and merchandising opportunities.
Will Emma Myers appear as both characters in the same episode?
Yes—though not in the same scene. Episode 4, 'The Séance Before Christmas,' features Enid in the present day while Ophelia appears through flashbacks and psychic visions. Later episodes will include dream sequences where the two characters visually interact, blurring the line between memory, prophecy, and identity. This technique, inspired by David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro, is central to the season’s psychological horror tone.
What’s the timeline for Season 2’s release and production?
Principal photography began August 5, 2025, in Prague and ends February 14, 2026. Ophelia’s scenes were filmed between November 30, 2025, and January 15, 2026. Visual effects by Wētā FX are due by October 1, 2026. The season is scheduled for global release on December 25, 2026, as part of Netflix’s holiday programming, aligning with the episode’s Christmas séance theme and maximizing seasonal viewership.