“We were waiting for her to be born and….”: Jenna Ortega is More Central to Beetlejuice 2 Making Than You Thought, Winona Ryder’s Confession Reveals

In a time full of public beef among co-stars, Beetlejuice 2 has become a breath of fresh air. As the cast of the film goes on their press tour, the one thing that fans have noticed is that all the co-stars cannot stop speaking highly of each other. Seeming as genuine as possible, there looks to be a very close connection between the cast of the Tim Burton movie.

Some could credit this closeness to the fact that they have all worked together before and have known each other for years. However, the newer additions to the story have been given the same treatment, and there is no better example of this than what Winona Ryder had to say about Jenna Ortega.

A Mother and Daughter Dynamic?

With the release of Beetlejuice 2 just around the corner, Winona Ryder recently gave an interview with Collider for the promotion of the movie. During this appearance, she was asked about her dynamic with Jenna Ortega in the film. Playing the roles of mother and daughter, the actress was asked about how they were able to reach a similar dynamic in real life.

She is absolutely one of my favorite people. She is the most authentic person. 

Interestingly enough, she mentioned that bonding with Ortega was almost effortless for both of them. She started by talking about how talented the young actress is, mentioning that she was able to perfectly blend into the role she was playing and embody the character of Astrid Deetz.

Once the conversation started it just never stopped. And that is really true I go to her for advice.

Ryder then went on to talk about her dynamic with Ortega, mentioning that they began to get along the moment they began to talk. She even went as far as to say that she has started to go to the young actress for advice rather than the other way around. Fans can assume that their bond is quite rare.

Beetlejuice 2 Was Made Because Jenna Ortega Was Born

Considering how the first Beetlejuice movie came out in 1988 and was an instant hit, it is safe to say that the second film has been a long time coming. Not only have the fans been desperately waiting for more, but the cast has also been interested in coming back for decades.

Since the second film took more than 30 years to come, fans cannot help but wonder what exactly pushed the sequel to finally happen. During the interview, Winona Ryder seems to have hinted at what could have been the reason.

According to the actress, there was no better fit for the series than Jenna Ortega. Not only was the actress excellent in Wednesday, but she was also a kind of missing piece in the Beetlejuice puzzle that Tim Burton and the rest of the cast had been looking for for years.

We talked about it for so long and you know, it had to be perfect. And I realized we were waiting for her to be born and grow up. She’s like the perfect puzzle piece to add. She sort of completes it.

Ryder even went as far as to say that they had been waiting for the twenty-one-year-old actress to be born so that they would be able to make the perfect movie.

Beetlejuice 2 is set to release in theaters on September 6th, 2024.