Casper Van Dien Reunites With Tim Burton — Then Is Burned Alive by Steve Buscemi’s Principal Dort in Wednesday Season 2

Casper Van Dien makes a short but memorable return to Tim Burton’s world in Wednesday season 2, appearing as cult leader Gideon Sterling — and then getting burned alive on screen by Principal Dort. The scene is brief, leans on visual effects, and Van Dien has said he enjoyed the chance to work with Burton again after 1999’s Sleepy Hollow.

Casper Van Dien plays Gideon Sterling, a cult leader introduced in season 1 who debuts on screen in season 2.
Principal Dort (Steve Buscemi) kills Sterling by setting him on fire; the moment is mostly VFX.
Van Dien said he was glad to work with Tim Burton again and would have been willing to perform practical fire stunts.
Production mixes CGI, practical effects, and prosthetics — more details in a Hollywood Reporter piece.

Gideon Sterling’s on-screen debut

Gideon Sterling, played by Van Dien, finally appears in person in season 2 after being referenced as a dark presence over Bianca Barclay (Joy Sunday) since season 1. In the episode, Sterling shows up in Principal Dort’s office and asks for money. Then Dort uses his fire powers to set him ablaze and afterward repurposes the body as kindling for his fireplace.

How the death was filmed

As a production, Wednesday uses a combination of CGI, practical effects, and prosthetics. Accordingly, Van Dien’s death scene relied mostly on visual effects rather than having the actor perform a full practical burn. Still, he was open to practical work if asked.

Van Dien said: “If they had asked me to go on fire for Tim Burton, I would have gone on fire.” He added, “All I had to do was scream, then the rest is visual. So I did a lot of screaming.”

Fans and the Twitch mention

Van Dien also noted that his Twitch followers noticed Gideon Sterling early, after the character appeared in a blurry newspaper shot in the first part of season 2. He said his followers started asking about the role the moment that image showed up on screen; you can find him on his Twitch channel.

Van Dien on reuniting with Burton

Van Dien described the experience as an honor. “Of course, I would have loved to spend more time on the show,” he said. “That being said, I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to work with Tim Burton again. It’s an honor. Twice in a lifetime is pretty good regardless of the screen time.”

Is Gideon Sterling really gone?

Van Dien hinted the character might not be gone forever, while noting how often characters appear dead or alive on the show. He said, “No matter what happens to my character in [Wednesday], I know that people show up dead or alive all the time.” He added, “So, who knows? I think the possibilities with Tim Burton are endless because he seems to be able to do anything.”