Tim Burton Gifts Buscemi Poe Memorabilia for New Role

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, actor Steve Buscemi has shared details about his collaboration with director Tim Burton for the second season of the dark comedy series Wednesday. Buscemi, who plays the new principal of Nevermore Academy, Barry Dort, reveals that Burton provided him with a special item "from his own collection" to use as inspiration for the role.

Specifically, Burton gifted Buscemi an Edgar Allan Poe action figure, which the actor says was not brand new, indicating it was from Burton's personal collection. Buscemi and Burton had a "mutual" idea to base the Dort character on the 19th-century poet, whose famous poem "The Raven" features the repeated word "nevermore," which is the name of the academy in the show.

Buscemi, who previously worked with Burton on the 2003 film Big Fish, describes their collaboration as "really amazing" and says he "loves the way [Burton] works." The actor found the experience "exciting" and "a little bit intimidating" but ultimately was able to settle into the role once they had the wig and mustache that helped him embody the Poe-inspired principal.

The second season of Wednesday is set to premiere in two parts, with the first half debuting on August 6th and the second half following on September 3rd. Buscemi, a longtime fan of the original Addams Family series, praises Burton and the show's creator, Jenna Ortega, for creating a new iteration that "builds on the past and takes it in a new direction, but still has the core thing that we love about The Addams Family."