Why You Never See Wednesday Addams Blinking in the “Wednesday” Netflix Show

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jenna Ortega (@jennaortega)

The Netflix show Wednesday is getting a lot of buzz, particularly about its lead actor, Jenna Ortega. She plays the titular role of Wednesday Addams and has totally transformed herself into the iconic, stone-faced character. One feature that fans have picked up on is that Wednesday doesn’t blink—a choice that was intentional by Ortega and director Tim Burton.

Burton and Ortega wanted to convey a deadpan look from Wednesday, and her mannerisms helped achieve it. “She doesn't blink,” Ortega explained. “[Tim] likes it when I tilt my chin down and look through my eyebrows, kind of like a Kubrick stare, and then I relax all the muscles in my face.” Her eyebrows were the way in which reacted to the characters and situations in a scene. Paired with Ortega’s unblinking eyes, the transformation into Wednesday was complete—and delightfully creepy.

Not blinking may sound quite challenging—it is an involuntary movement, after all—but Ortega employed a trick to maintain her uninterrupted gaze on screen. She would blink while her costars were speaking and refrain from doing so while she was saying her lines. This is even more impressive when you learn that the filming was done in Romania during the winter and the cold wind was hitting her face.

Learn more about Ortega’s work on Wednesday in the video below. And the next time you watch her in the show, marvel at how well she embodies the character, wide-open eyes and all.