Jenna Ortega & Catherine O’Hara Reveal The “Childlike Excitement And Wonder” Of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Set

Thirty-six years after the events of Beetlejuice the Deetz family is drawn back to Winter River in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Following the death of Charles Deetz, a familiar threat from Lydia’s past rears its head when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, finds the mysterious model of the town in the attic. When she accidentally opens a portal to the Afterlife and releases Betelgeuse, Lydia will need to face her past and relationship with Astrid.

BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice captures the perfect combination of oddities, comedy, and heart from the original with a fresh perspective and voice. Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder return along with director Tim Burton to reprise the magic of the original Beetlejuice. Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci join the Beetlejuice universe, with Ortega bringing a new spin to the angsty, rebellious teenager that Ryder established in the original.

Screen Rant caught up with Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara to talk about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. O’Hara explained why the original Beetlejuice was such an important part of her life and shared how Burton seemed invigorated with Beetlejuice. Ortega shared how collaborating with Burton on the sequel compared to Wednesday and reflected on her offscreen relationship with Ryder.

Catherine O’Hara Shares Her Original Expectations For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice “Was Just A Wonderful Time” In The Actor’s Life And The Sequel Lived Up To That

Catherine, what was your biggest priority when returning to the Beetlejuice universe all these years later? Was there anything that you told Tim that you wanted to specifically do in this one?

Catherine O’Hara: No, I just wanted it to be good like most jobs. But this is pretty special just because it was that experience we had in our lives, and it was a very happy experience. The movie somehow has grown an audience over the years and is not forgotten, and there are great expectations now about what this one’s going to be.

But for me, I really had a lovely time on that movie. I loved working with Tim and everyone. I met my husband; he was a production designer on that, and it was just a wonderful time in my life. So, I wanted it to be not only good for the audience, but a worthy thing to do. And it was!

Jenna Ortega Gushes Over Her Connection To Winona Ryder

“Everything Kind Of Fell Into Place, And It Was Rare”

Jenna, Winona said that she has never bonded as hard with someone on a film set as she did with you on this movie. How meaningful was that bond and that relationship that you developed with her?

Jenna Ortega: I would say it was pretty meaningful. That’s so wonderful and sweet to hear because, obviously, it feels very real and happened almost instantly. It’s weird; sometimes you look at someone, and you just know. I feel like we had that, and I could have never anticipated getting the incredible opportunity to work with her, let alone to get to know and love her. And she’s so easy to love.

It’s very special to me, and I can’t really compare it to anything else that I’ve had either. There were just so many more similarities than I could have imagined – even coincidentally. Everything kind of fell into place, and it was rare.

Tim Burton has called this a reinvigorating experience. Apparently, he was ready to hang it up for films when he did Wednesday, and he was brought back into this world because he was given the opportunity to do a sequel. But was that obvious on set?

Catherine O’Hara: Yes. And when I first met him for this, I could see he needed to be reinvigorated because that’s the way he spoke. He was at a place where he just wanted to get back to those early days; what it meant for him, with not so many eyeballs over the shoulder, and just letting go of people thinking they know him.

I mean, I’m speaking for him right now, and I shouldn’t be. But the impression I got was that it got out of control, who he became. And he just wanted to go back to that feeling where no one’s watching, you’re just trying to be interesting and funny and express your creativity. And I was honestly so happy for him every day on the set of this movie. He was so alive and happy and full of great ideas and so open to ideas, and it was just a really freeing, creative experience.

Jenna Ortega: I caught him a year before all this happened in Romania shooting Wednesday. And I remember he was always so kind and so pleasant, and he was very energetic and if someone was doing a stunt, he would do it first to show it – very hands-on.

But I will say it was a very different experience doing this movie with him because it was that childlike excitement and wonder and spontaneity, and you could tell his gears were turning. He was just very obviously invested, and that was so exciting and pushed us to take it further and give more and do more. It just felt so collaborative and nice and safe. It was very sweet to see.

About Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.

Check out our other Beetlejuice Beetlejuice interviews:

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.

Release Date

September 6, 2024

Studio(s)

KatzSmith Productions , Tim Burton Productions , Warner Bros. Pictures , Plan B Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Mike Vukadinovich , Seth Grahame-Smith , Michael McDowell , Larry Wilson

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