Here's Why Jenna Ortega Never Blinks in Tim Burton and Netflix's "Wednesday"
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Blink during Netflix's Wednesday, and you might miss it. Jenna Ortega, who portrays the titular teen character, has implemented a handful of signature character quirks that make the eldest Addams stand out from the other outcasts at Nevermore Academy. One trait in particular that caught the eyes of fans is how Wednesday appears to never blink throughout the series. As it turns out, the non-blinking mannerism is entirely intentional.
On November 28, Netflix tweeted out the backstory of where Wednesday's non-blinking nature came from. "After trying one take where she didn't blink, Tim Burton was so enamored with the result he told Jenna Ortega not to blink anymore when playing Wednesday," the streamer wrote, "So, she didn't."
Jenna had previously confirmed this factoid herself when she appeared on The Today Show on November 21. "She doesn't blink," Ortega said of Wednesday. "[Tim Burton] 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," she explained. For reference, a "Kubrick stare" refers to the specific expression of an actor staring intensely at the camera from beneath furrowed brows. The look was made famous by director Stanley Kubrick, who's best known for his thriller works The Shining and A Clockwork Orange.
Characters who do not blink are common in Tim Burton's movies, as he dislikes the act. In a 2016 interview with Yahoo!, the director revealed that he doesn't know why he had a distaste for blinking. "Even when you're mentioning it now, it freaks me out," he told the interviewer.
While it may feel impossible for the average person to go more than a minute without blinking, Wednesday is ~supernaturally gifted~, meaning it's plausible she doesn't need to close her eyes. Plus, the lack of blinking makes scenes where Wednesday does close her eyes — like when she's riding in the car with her parents in the first episode and when she hugs Enid in the season finale — more impactful.
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