     {
         var result:Boolean = (alwaysCreateDisplayObject ||
         (_filters && _filters.length > 0) || 
-            blendMode != BlendMode.NORMAL || _mask ||
+            _blendMode != BlendMode.NORMAL || _mask ||
             (layoutFeatures != null && (layoutFeatures.layoutScaleX != 1 || layoutFeatures.layoutScaleY != 1 || layoutFeatures.layoutScaleZ != 1 ||
             layoutFeatures.layoutRotationX != 0 || layoutFeatures.layoutRotationY != 0 || layoutFeatures.layoutRotationZ != 0 ||
             layoutFeatures.layoutZ  != 0)) ||  

            if (blendModeChanged || displayObjectChanged)
            {
                blendModeChanged = false;
                displayObject.blendMode = blendMode;
            }

            if (filtersChanged || displayObjectChanged)

     *  @private
     *  Storage for the blendMode property.
     */
    private var _blendMode:String = "auto"; 
    
    /**
     *  @private
     */
    private var blendModeChanged:Boolean;
    private var blendModeExplicitlySet:Boolean = false;

    [Inspectable(category="General", enumeration="auto,add,alpha,darken,difference,erase,hardlight,invert,layer,lighten,multiply,normal,subtract,screen,overlay,colordodge,colorburn,exclusion,softlight,hue,saturation,color,luminosity", defaultValue="auto")]

    /**
     *  A value from the BlendMode class that specifies which blend mode to use. 
     * 
     *  @default auto
     * 
     *  @see flash.display.DisplayObject#blendMode
     *  @see flash.display.BlendMode
