Netflix drops major actor from Wednesday season 2 as the cast reunite in behind-the-scenes snaps as production begins

A leading actor from Netflix hit Wednesday has been axed from the show as filming begins for series two.

The cast list was announced on Tuesday, with Jenna Ortega, 21, returning in the title role following her shocking departure from another Netflix project.

However, fans will notice that Percy Hynes White, who played psychic student Xavier Thorpe in season one, is absent from the list, following allegations of sexual misconduct that the actor faced and denied last year.

White’s departure comes after he faced sexual assault allegations last year after starring in the first season of the Addams Family spin-off series on Netflix, and DailyMail.com exclusively reported that he had been written out of the show.

“I had so much fun working on this show,” he wrote alongside the photo originally posted by Wednesday’s co-creator Alfred Gough. ‘I can’t wait to watch season 2 🙂 Lots of love.’

In the first season, White played Xavier Thorpe, and it is currently unknown how his character’s storyline will play out in the upcoming season.

He played a psychic Nevermore student, who was one of the two main male leads and had a romantic interest in Wednesday (Ortega).

That after September, DailyMail.com exclusively reported that he was written out of the show after he was accused of purposely getting women drunk at a Toronto party he hosted so he could have sex with them.

In early 2023, White faced a series of sexual assault allegations – which he firmly denied as a “campaign of misinformation”.

In June last year, he issued a statement about the since-deleted anonymous social media posts from last January.

In his impassioned post, he wrote: ‘Earlier this year, someone I’ve never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online. As a result, my family has been doxxed and my friends have received death threats. Photos of minors of mine were used and examples of my character behavior were presented as hateful.”

He went on to talk about how one of his friends was “falsely portrayed as a victim” and condemned the “baseless, damaging claims.”

Even if he wouldn’t return to Wednesday, he has other projects in the pipeline, including Winter Spring Summer of Fall — a romantic comedy he submitted to Ortega in Utah earlier last year and will be released in June 2024.

Netflix announced that production on Wednesday’s season 2 has begun and a slew of British stars have been added to the cast.

Stars like Jenna and Christina Ricci were reunited in sweet behind-the-scenes snaps.

The streamer also shared a video via social media of Thing running down a hallway and pulling a cart full of scripts.

The disembodied hand goes through doors with the names of the show’s stars, handing out scripts, before arriving at Jenna Ortega’s door and doing the classic finger snaps.

Jenna, playing Wednesday Addams, opens the door and picks up the script, saying, “Hello Thing. More torture awaits’.

The front page of the script reveals that the season two premiere will be called ‘Here We Woe Again’, written by show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and again directed by Tim Burton.

The clip ends with a list of the cast for series two, with Jenna, Emma Myers, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Hunter Doohan and Joy Sunday all returning.

While several new stars join the show, including British legends Thandiwe Newton, Joanna Lumley and Billie Piper.

Following her huge success as Sam McAlister in the Netflix hit Scoop, Billie will take on the recurring role of Capri.

While BAFTA winner and Golden Globe nominee Thandiwe will guest star as Dr. Fairburn.

British icon Joanna will take on the famous role of Grandma, Wednesday and Pugsley’s grandmother.

Other big names joining the show include Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo and Frances O’Connor in undisclosed roles.

Back To The Future’s Christopher Lloyd also stars, having previously played Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.

Taking to her own Instagram to share the news, Jenna posted a selfie from the set in her full Wednesday costume, sitting in a director’s chair with the caption, “Wednesday Season 2.”

The announcement comes just weeks after Steve Buscemi was cast in the second series.

The talented actor, 66, plays Barry Dort, the new director of Nevermore Academy.

Steve is an accomplished actor on both the big and small screen, having starred in the critically acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire from 2010 to 2014.

He also appeared in major films, including 1992’s Reservoir Dogs, 1996’s Fargo, 1997’s Con Air, 1998’s The Big Lebowski and 2010’s Grown Ups.

It was announced that Wednesday had been renewed for a second season in January 2023 after achieving incredible global success.

The spin-off about the Addams Family focuses on the goth teen Wednesday as she moves to boarding school Nevermore Academy.

During its debut week streaming in November 2022, the show racked up a record 341.2 million hours watched, beating Stranger Things, according to Netflix.

On December 13, 2022, the Tim Burton-led show surpassed 1 billion hours watched.

In an interview with Tudum.com at the time, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said: ‘It’s been incredible to create a show that has connected with people all over the world.

“Happy to continue Wednesday’s winding journey into season two. We can’t wait to jump straight into a new season and explore the crazy, creepy world of Nevermore. I just have to make sure Wednesday doesn’t empty the pool first.’