Here's Why You Probably Won't See Jenna Ortega Blinking In "Wednesday"
Fans can't get enough of how well Jenna Ortega transformed into titular character Wednesday Addams in the new Netflix series Wednesday, and now the actor is giving some insight into how she did it.
One thing that viewers might've noticed is that Wednesday doesn't blink, and that was 100% intentional. During a recent interview on Today, Jenna revealed how she was able to accomplish the eye-opening task.
jenna ortega was born to be wednesday addams. sheesh
Early on, while Jenna and director Tim Burton were developing Wednesday's characteristics and mannerisms, they decided having Wednesday not blink added to her eerie ways.
"She doesn't blink," Jenna told Today. "[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."
The Kubrick stare refers to an ominous, chilling look that a character gives, typically before doing something shocking or heinous. The angle of the face is tilted down and a dark shadow is usually cast right below the eyebrows. This frequently occurred in movies by iconic direct Stanley Kubrick (i.e. The Shining and A Clockwork Orange).
As for the not-blinking portion of her role, Jenna admitted she got "pretty annoying" about it while filming. But even though they were working during a Romanian winter as wind hit her face, she figured out a way around it.
One trick she learned was to blink while her costars say their lines and then hold off when she's delivering her own lines.
She's gotten so good at it, fans are now purposely watching the series extra closely in an attempt to catch her blinking.
I really wish I wouldn’t have read that Jenna Ortega does not blink for the entirety of Wednesday bc now im going to be hyper fixated on seeing if she ever blinks
