Being up for a coveted role is an opportunity that all performers clamor for, but at the end of the day, many miss out on a chance to do something great in a major project. Sure, there are times when a performer gets completely replaced, but normally, landing a major project means sticking it out and finding success.
During the 90s, the Addams Family was being revived by the studio, and people were excited for the fresh take on the family. At one point, Cher was in line to play Morticia Addams, but she missed out on a huge opportunity.
Let’s take a look back and see what happened.
She Was Up For Morticia Addams In ‘The Addams Family’
Cher is known for many things, with acting being among them. The performer, who broke out as a music star decades ago, has had a successful acting career, and during the 90s, she found herself up for the role of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family.
Morticia was already a legendary character thanks to the success of the Addams Family comics and series from the past, and since nostalgia has a funny way of influencing projects, the creepy and kooky family was making their triumphant return to the mainstream. This was a brilliant decision by the studio, but if the project had any chance at success, then it needed to be cast perfectly.
Prior to being up for the role, Cher had already been a legend for some time. Not only did she have a number of successful films to her name, but she had even taken home Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her performance in Moonstruck. There is simply nothing she can’t excel at, and she could have been a good fit as Morticia.
However, despite the initial interest that was there, the filmmakers wound up making a bold choice for the role that eventually paid off.
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Anjelica Huston Gets The Role Over Cher
Much like Cher, Anjelica Huston was already a successful actress by the time The Addams Family came around. The performer got the chance to meet with the filmmakers before production got underway, and she opened up about this in an interview.
“Barry Sonnenfeld, Scott Rudin and I met for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel. They said: ‘We’d really like you to play Morticia Addams.’ I said: ‘If you don’t mind me asking, why not Cher?’ I don’t know what possessed me to suggest another actress, but they said: ‘No, we’d like you to do it’,” Cher said.
“I had very much enjoyed working with Nicolas Roeg on The Witches a year earlier, even though it was difficult in terms of hair and makeup, and I didn’t feel like I needed to make another family-friendly film. But I’ve always had a bit of a dark side when it comes to movie choices – I make my decisions individually rather than because I think that’s the way my career should be going,” she continued.
The filmmakers clearly saw something in Huston that they did not see in Cher, and eventually, the actress signed on to star as Morticia for a whole new generation. Low and behold, the filmmakers were completely right about Huston, and she delivered a performance for the ages in the film.
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The Film Becomes A Success
Released back in 1991, The Addams Family was just what the doctor ordered for fans, and the film was a success at the box office. Thanks to grossing over $190 million, the studio went ahead and approved a sequel flick to kickstart a new franchise.
Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia made for a sensational Gomez and Morticia, and to this day, fans still love to go back and see the chemistry that these two had in the film. Boring people can keep Jim and Pam from The Office. They don’t come close to matching what Gomez and Morticia have, and this would not have been as apparent without the stellar work of Huston and Julia.
Addams Family Values might not have been as successful as its predecessor, but the film earned solid reviews and once again showed off the chemistry that Huston had with Julia.
In regard to how great the two performers were, director Barry Sonenfield said, “You never want anyone in your comedy to acknowledge you’re making a comedy, you want the actors to play the reality of their characters, which is why Raúl and Anjelica were so good.”
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Cher could have done great things as Morticia, but Anjelica Huston delivered a truly iconic performance back in 1991.
