Who plays Thing in Wednesday?

Who plays Thing in Wednesday? Thing poses on Wednesday's shoulder
Thing serves as Wednesday's unlikely sidekick in the Netflix series. (Image credit: Netflix)

Are you wondering who plays Thing in Wednesday? Believe it or not, the disembodied hand isn't just CGI or a remote control model, and is actually played by a real person.

Fans of Netflix's Wednesday have taken an immediate liking to Thing, and it's hard to believe that a hand that is incapable of facial expressions can be so funny and even emotionally driven at times.

Thing ends up being a big part of the series, as he helps Wednesday on her quest to find out the truth about Joseph Crackstone and the murders around Jericho. Whether it's spying on her behalf or sending messages, he's always there.

But who is the Thing actor, and how did they film the scenes with him? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

Who plays Thing in Wednesday?

Thing with a message that reads "call me, Wednesday"

Thing is an excellent messenger! (Image credit: Netflix)

Thing is played by Romanian magician and illusionist Victor Dorobantu, making it his first credited television role. According to his Instagram bio, he is a "magician, illusionist, and events entertainer" by trade.

His IMDb biography adds: "Victor Dorobantu was born on March 5, 1997, in Ploiesti, Romania. Victor started his career as a magician performing at private and public events and TV shows in Romania. He is known for being an actor, hand actor, and creature performer."

In an interview with ScreenRant, Wednesday Addams actress Jenna Ortega revealed: "Tim Burton wanted it to be an actual actor like they did in the 90s films, so it was this magician named Victor. He would wear a full blue suit, and he would hide behind walls and underneath beds. Then they built this prosthetic on top of his hand so that it looked like a wrist knob, and he would walk around."

She added: "We'd shoot with the stand-in hand there; never did the tennis ball. I was either working with an actor and responding to him or I was looking at nothing, and then at the end of every take, we would have to bring in these gray and silver balls and a color chart so that they could add CGI."

What is Thing's backstory?

In the classic 1964 TV series The Addams Family, Thing was originally depicted as a whole creature that was too horrible to see in person. As a result, its human hand was the only part that was visible to the audience.

However, his story was changed for the 1991 and 1993 Addams Family films where he became a disembodied hand, which has continued throughout subsequent adaptations.

Canadian actor and magician Christopher Hart played Thing in the early 90s films and Steven Fox took over for the 1998 adaptation.

Thing giving the thumbs up

Thing works alongside Wednesday. (Image credit: Netflix)

It's not exactly known where Thing came from, or where his body is, but it is believed he has been with the family for a long time. When Enid asks Wednesday about him, she describes him as "an Addams Family mystery".

Thing can't talk but does communicate by using morse code, tapping, and gestures like thumbs up. However, if he's frustrated he has been known to give Wednesday the middle finger too!

More about Netflix's Wednesday

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress