Known for portraying the eccentric Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series, Jenna Ortega is championing more peculiar and offbeat stories like the cult classic Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, the 1988 horror comedy film, known for its quirky sensibility, follows a dead couple as ghosts who are not allowed to leave their home and try to scare the house’s new residents.
Over three decades after the release of the original film, Burton is set to bring the mischievous demon Beetlejuice back to the silver screen in the upcoming sequel. In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Ortega shared insight into the film, as she advocated for more such artistic and creative stories like this.
Jenna Ortega Calls For the Revival of ‘Weird and Strange’ Films Like Beetlejuice 2
The sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 horror comedy Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows the Deetz family returning to Winter River after an unexpected tragedy, only to be haunted once again by the mischievous demon Betelgeuse.
In a conversation with Vanity Fair, actress Jenna Ortega discussed the significance of bringing back the cult classic film, known for its eccentricity and offbeat storytelling, in the age of sequels and reboots. The Emmy-nominated actress said,
I feel like studios nowadays, of course they want people in seats and you’ve got to do reboots or sequels or things like that to get people entwined, but to bring Beetlejuice back—of all of the stories—is so good because people need to revisit weird, strange, off-putting stories again.
Ortega also emphasized the value of introducing the younger generations to unique and creative ideas. “We need to introduce the younger generation that’s always on the phone to new artistic and creative ideas,” she said.
The Scream star also suggested that such unconventional narratives have the potential to attract a wider audience and revitalize the film industry as a whole. Jenna Ortega is taking on the role of Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Ryder) daughter, Astrid Deetz, who accidentally releases the titular demon in the upcoming sequel.
Jenna Ortega Shares Astonishment at Michael Keaton’s Transformation
Beetlejuice 2 features Michael Keaton reprising his titular role alongside Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara from the original movie. And the actor’s transformation into the mischievous demon surprised the new star of the film, Jenna Ortega.
“It was like an animal with a gun had just walked into the room,” she said, in an interview with Empire. “To watch him physically change and appear and Michael Keaton to be gone, and for me to be dealing with this Betelgeuse guy… it blew my mind,” she further said, talking about Keaton’s transformation in the film.
Not just the Wednesday star, the film’s director and his co-stars also praised, Keaton for his transformation in the movie. “It was like he was possessed by a demon,” Tim Burton said before adding, “Because he just went right back into it.”
Keaton, who has shared that Beetlejuice is his favorite film of his own, also expressed confidence in the upcoming movie, stating that he believes that his and Burton’s latest collaboration has created something exceptional.
Beetlejuice is available to stream on Prime Video.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to release on September 6, 2024.
