Wednesday season 2 drops Percy Hynes White, adds several new cast members

Percy Hynes White won’t be returning to Nevermore Academy.

The actor who played Xavier Thorpe, a telekinetic student and one of Wednesday Addams’s love interests, is among three original cast members who won’t be part of the upcoming season 2 of Wednesday, which just began production in Ireland.

Jamie McShane (Sheriff Donovan Galpin, father of Tyler Galpin) and Naomi J. Ogawa (fellow student Yoko Tanaka) have also departed ahead of season 2. (Ogawa cited uncertain scheduling and a lack of progression in Yoko’s journey as the reason for her exit.)

Hynes White’s departure comes in the wake of sexual assault allegations made against him by a Twitter user last year, who alleged the actor assaulted her at a party and engaged in sexual activity with a minor. Hynes White denied the allegations and decried the “campaign of misinformation” against him.

“I can’t accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people’s safety,” he wrote on social media. “These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims. It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people.”

Nonetheless, the upcoming season 2 has a stacked cast of newcomers. Steve Buscemi joins as a character named Barry Dort. He’ll be joined by fellow new series regulars Billie Piper, Evie Templeton, Owen Painter, and Noah Taylor, while new guest stars include Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Frances O’Connor, Haley Joel Osment, Heather Matarazzo, and Joonas Suotamo.

“We are thrilled that the entire Addams family will be enrolling in Nevermore Academy this season along with a dream cast of icons and new faces,” showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar said in a statement.

Netflix announced the new cast alongside teaser video that also reveals the title of the first episode: “Here We Woe Again.” In the clip, Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday says, “More torture awaits.”