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Steve Buscemi explains special gift that Tim Burton gave him tied to his 'Wednesday' character

By Sophia Soto | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 2:33 PM ET

Steve Buscemi is revealing the item that Wednesday director Tim Burton gave him, "from his own collection." He explained that the two of them had a "mutual" idea for his character, Barry Dort, who is the new principal of Nevermore Academy, would be inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

"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," the actor, who previously worked with Burton on 2003's Big Fish, told PEOPLE. "It was like, 'Oh my god, he gave me one of his possessions.'"

They "picked up where we left off," with Buscemi commenting, "It was really amazing. I just love the way he works, his process. 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."

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Part 1 of the second season is now streaming, and he describes joining the show as "a little bit intimidating, but mostly exciting." Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Isaac Ordonez, Joy Sunday, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, Victor Dorobantu, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, Noah B. Taylor, and Hunter Doohan also star.

"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,'" he concluded.

Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), returns to prowl the Gothic halls of Nevermore Academy, where fresh foes and woes await. This season, Wednesday must navigate family, friends and old adversaries, propelling her into another year of delightfully dark and kooky mayhem. Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery.

Guest stars for this season include Jamie McShane, Joanna Lumley, Joonas Suotamo, Fred Armisen, Christopher Lloyd, Thandiwe Newton, Heather Matarazzo, and Frances O'Connor.

Part 2 will include the final four episodes and drop on September 3.

Sophia Soto

Sophia Soto is a writer and interviewer with a passion for all things entertainment. She is a Senior Reporter at The Nerds of Color and contributes to Yardbarker, Screensphere, Den of Geek, What to Watch, Nerdtropolis, and Temple of Geek. You can see her past work on Remezcla, Young Hollywood, Looper, Paste Magazine, Primetimer, Soundsphere, and Starry Constellation Magazine

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