Dark, deadpan and fabulously glossy – Netflix’s Wednesday, a spin-off of The Addams Family, has quickly found its place as one of 2022’s most zeitgeisty hits. In the days following its release, the series surpassed Stranger Things as the most-watched new series in its week of release, racking up 341.2 million hours of watch time across the world. Starring Jenna Ortega (Jane the Virgin, You) as the eponymous Wednesday, the daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams (played by Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones).
Wednesday. (L to R) Thing, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday AddamsCOURTESY OF NETFLIX
The series follows Wednesday as she enrols at Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts after she’s expelled from her high school for an incident involving piranhas, the school swimming pool and the boys’ water polo team. But where did the cast and crew travel to find the Gothic backdrops of the show?
Bușteni, Romania
Most of the filming took place between 2021 and 2022 in Bușteni, a small mountain town in Romania, in winter – lending a bleakness to the already stark shooting locations.
Snowcapped Mountains Against Sky in Busteni, RomaniaCarp Luiza / EyeEm / GETTY IMAGES
Cantacuzino Castle
Built in 1911 in the Neo-Romanian style, Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni stars as the show’s main location: Nevermore Academy. Until the 1930s, the castle was the summer home of Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, who commissioned it. After World War II, it was owned for a period by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, before undergoing restoration and opening to the public. These days, as well as the many sculptures and works of art displayed across the grounds and castle interior, there are two restaurants and an adventure park for little visitors.
Bucharest, Romania
Romania’s capital Bucharest was also used during filming. While the exteriors of Nevermore Academy were shot at Cantacuzino Castle, the interiors were shot 85 miles away at Casa Monteoru, an 1870s-built property in Bucharest.
