Netflix Explains Why Jenna Ortega Never Blinks In Wednesday
Netflix has explained why Jenna Ortega never blinks in Wednesday.
The comedy horror follows a gothic teenager, called Wednesday Addams, who is obsessed with death as she fits into her new high school and investigates all of its secrets.
Wednesday is a spinoff of the ‘Addams’ cartoon that was originally published in The New Yorker in 1938.
The stories about the wealthy gothic family have been immensely popular, resulting in a number of programmes and films based on the story, most famously the 1991 film The Addams Family.
Now Netflix has produced its own spinoff, which has received a ton of positive reviews.
Watch the trailer for Wednesday below…
Ortega has also gained a lot of praise for her portrayal of the iconic character, with many noticing some little ticks she does, making her stand out even more.
One of these habits is an uncomfortable stare, as viewers have noticed Wednesday never appears to blink.
Netflix has revealed that this was an idea from the executive producer and director Tim Burton, who helmed the first four episodes of the series.
In a tweet shared by the streaming service, the company wrote: “After trying one take where she didn’t blink, Tim Burton was so enamoured with the result he told Jenna Ortega not to blink anymore when playing Wednesday.
“So she didn’t.”
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. So she didn’t. pic.twitter.com/h5Ver9oozC
— Netflix (@netflix) November 28, 2022
Fans in the comments have been praising this creative decision, with one writing: “That’s remarkable.”
Another person added: “She’s f***ing great… when is season 2?”
A third fan commented: “I honestly don’t recall her blinking at all on the show now that I’m thinking about it…
“But damn props again for Jenna and Tim Burton and the other cast for making this show come to life.”
But other fans have pointed out that the character does blink occasionally.
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However, this is due to events that are happening in the show, rather than a mistake on Ortega’s end.
One user explained: “She does actually blink though, apparently she blinks when she’s feeling uncomfortable (counted 3 in Episode 2).
“She’s amazing in the role though!”
“I saw her blink once or twice. It was weird,” remarked someone else.
Christina Ricci, who played Wednesday in the 1991 film, has a role in the programme as Marilyn Thornhill.
Although Ricci has experience playing the iconic character, Ortega has revealed that she didn’t seek advice from her on set because she wanted to put her own spin on Wednesday.
Speaking to MTV news (via the Daily Express), she explained: “I think when she was on set, neither one of us said Wednesday once to each other.
“I don’t think she wanted to get in the way of my performance and feel like she was overbearing.
“And then I felt like I didn’t want to pull up something that she did 30 years ago, for one, the sake of my own benefit, but two, I didn’t want to rip her off.
“And I didn’t want to be too much like her.”
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Currently, the show has an 88% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Both Ortega’s performance and Burton’s direction have been praised by critics, with Tom Long from the Detroit News writing: “This is a Tim Burton production, so it looks great.
“But looks wouldn’t matter if Jenna Ortega’s deadpan wasn’t just as elastic as it needed to be — she consistently pushes outside the caricature enough to keep things lively. Or deadly.”
Wednesday is now available to stream on Netflix.
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