Ashionye Michelle Raccah, a long-time Addams Family fan, was given the opportunity to star in a remake of the well-known classic more than two decades after seeing her first film in the franchise.
Her first experience with the popular fictional family, which includes devilishly amusing characters such as Morticia, Gomez, and the moody Wednesday, was in Anjelica Huston’s 1991 film The Addams Family.
“I’ve always been a fan of the [Addams family], and when I heard [about] Wednesday season 1, I was intrigued. I watched the show, it was amazing,” Raccah told OkayAfrica.
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Raccah recently appeared in the second season of Wednesday, Tim Burton’s big hit Netflix series.
Raccah appears in the third episode of the second season as a minister officiating at the funeral of former Sheriff Donovan Galpin. Raccah’s character presided over the somber and sparsely attended funeral in a pitch black priestly gown, her hair pushed away from her face, exuding the stoic-faced tone that impacts the series’ aesthetics.
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Raccah co-starred in the scene with Thandiwe Newton, a notable British Zimbabwean actress, and South African star Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo.
“It was one scene, but it meant a step towards building my career globally,” Raccah remarked. “It was pleasant to work with Jenna, Thandiwe, and Unati. I got to share moments between takes with Thandiwe and Unati, having conversations with them,” Raccah said.
She had to go through pre-shoot rehearsals, cosmetics, costume, and a meeting with director Paco Cabezas that day before being driven back to her trailer.
“About an hour or so later, we were put back in the vehicle and driven back to the sets. They were ready to shoot. It was quite an experience, as I believe they only shot two scenes in 12 hours of filming that entire day. It was a short, sharp, interesting scene, but it took a couple of hours. And to be honest, that experience being on set for that day changed my perspective,” Raccah recalled.
One of Raccah’s favorite moments was being dressed by Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, which she called “very surreal.”
According to Raccah, the experience on set was unlike anything else she has experienced as an actor, especially in terms of the level of attention to detail and the degree to which a large budget can make the life of actors like her, regardless of how minor their involvement on a production may be, completely worthwhile.
“For that one scene, I had about eight different costumes to try out in two different colors, you know, four in black, four in grey.”
She went on to say that it wasn’t like working on a Nollywood set, where finances are usually limited and directors rely on their creativity and perseverance to create blockbusters on a tight budget.
“We’re run by independent filmmakers. You know, every production is from an independent filmmaker’s pocket. In Hollywood, it’s a lot different. You have different people coming together or different companies coming together, putting funds together to produce it.”
Her route to this part began when her agent requested that she put in audition recordings for a role. Raccah was informed that even though the casting supervisors thought her audition was fantastic, they chose someone else. She tried out for another position, but the same thing happened.
She didn’t receive a favorable reaction until the third attempt. According to Raccah, her young daughter, who enjoys Ortega and the show, helped her in getting ready for that third attempt.
“We go into the room, and I set up everything. She tells me what to do as I run the lines. And she’s like, ‘No, no, no, no. I’m directing you. You’re doing it this way. You’re doing it that way. Move your hands like that. Look at the side.’ I was like, Why is my eight-year-old daughter directing my self-tape? But I took her directions.”
Raccah was overjoyed when she heard she had landed the role. For her, it was both thrilling and enlightening to enter Hollywood as an actor who had primarily worked in Nigeria’s film industry, which is supported by individual filmmakers and small private businesses as opposed to powerful film studios or corporations.
“I had to learn and relearn things that I had learned in Nollywood,” Raccah said. “I had to go to drama school. There are certain things that I had to learn to be able to find my place over here.”
Nevertheless, Raccah’s experience in Nollywood, which includes roles in Breath of Life, Never Saw It Coming, and Public Property, has given her priceless acting talent.
Continually learning has also assisted Raccah in changing her perspective and method of working. After relocating to Europe, she enrolled in drama school and hired an accent coach to help her become a more versatile performer.
“I’m presently working with one to help me achieve some other accents that I presently don’t have. And that’s me trying to grow myself as an actor on an international stage. Because here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter how talented you are as a performer, if a role calls for a certain accent and you can’t achieve that accent, you’re probably not going to get it.”
For the most part, Raccah is feeling hopeful about extending her resume outside of Africa.
“This project means a whole lot; it means a step towards achieving my dream as an actor on a global stage. This is not just every Nollywood actor’s dream, but every African actor’s dream to be on a global stage and to have such an opportunity to, like we say in Nigeria, sell our market. I am a proud representative of not just Nigeria or Nollywood or not just Nollywood and Nigeria, but Africa.”
Raccah is now among a few Nollywood actors making waves in international productions. In Netflix’s 2023 movie, “Heart of Stone”, actress Diana Yekini starred alongside Gal Gadot and in 2024, Somkhele Iyamah-Idhalama was given a role in “Star Trek Discovery” as a progenitor.
Meanwhile, Raccah plans to continue working and growing her worldwide and local footprint, as well as to push herself as an actor.
“I’m up for playing any kind of role, to be honest, be it an action hero or a period piece. I would love to be in Bridgerton and play maybe a lady or something. As long as I’m able to present my craft, I’m up for anything at all. So, fingers crossed for bigger, better opportunities.”
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