Michael Keaton agreed to reprise his role in the Beetlejuice sequel so long as his character gets the necessary screen time, which in this sense means he wouldn’t take up a lot of space. The character already had its time in the first installment, and Keaton believes it wouldn’t do any justice to give him more than enough exposure.
Consequently, more screen time is dedicated to other actors. Franchise newcomer Jenna Ortega will be playing Astrid Deetz, and this film will be her biggest project so far after Netflix’s Wednesday and Scream.
Michael Keaton Doesn’t Want To Be The Center Of Attention In Beetlejuice 2
Tim Burton assembled a league of veteran actors to star in 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and with the return of Michael Keaton as the titular character, fans will be expecting to see him lead the franchise once again.
It took the director quite a long time to crack the code, but when he finally had the perfect script, Keaton knew he had to voice his opinion. Part of the agreement between the actor and Warner Bros is that the story should not revolve around him.
The 72-year-old star believes that if they fill the movie with so much Beetlejuice plot, it will falter. In his interview with GQ, he asserts that his role doesn’t drive the story forward as much as he did in the original installment. “He’s more part of the storyline,” Keaton claimed. In this sense, he meant he was only there to move things a bit.
With Beetlejuice not the center of the story anymore, as the actor assured, it means other cast members like Jenna Ortega will be taking the spotlight. The Mexican-Puerto Rican beauty has received worldwide attention in the past few years following her stints in Netflix’s Wednesday and Scream. In fact, she has become a newly minted scream queen in the eyes of the media.
With several projects lined up at her door, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the most prominent one so far. Her collaborations with renowned filmmakers such as Burton have been doing wonders for her already flourishing career.
Jenna Ortega Used To Be Scared Of Beetlejuice
Ortega has definitely found her playground in Hollywood. She has mostly worked on gothic horror projects but one thing that may surprise fans is that she was terrified of the first Beetlejuice movie.
It’s easy to assume that the 21-year-old star has a passion for scary movies because of the roles she plays, but in her conversation with the Today show, she admitted being “scared of everything”, including Burton’s horror franchise.
Now, with Keaton stepping a little to the side to give way for Ortega in Beetlejuice 2, the actress will prove once again that she has overcome her fear and that she has learned to love the thrill of it.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice arrives in theaters on September 6, 2024.
