Jenna Ortega teases her role in the ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel as Lydia Deetz’s daughter: ‘She’s weird, but in a different way’

Jenna Ortega teases her role in the ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel as Lydia Deetz’s daughter: 'She's weird, but in a different way'
Credit: Jenna Ortega Instagram

It’s been a while since Jenna Ortega’s fans have been speculating about what possible role she might be playing in the highly-awaited sequel to the 1988 cult film, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” directed by Tim Burton. It looks like the wait is finally over since the 21-year-old actress has finally opened up about her role. While speaking to Vanity Fair, Ortega confirmed that she is starring as Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s daughter!

“I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but I am Lydia Deetz’s daughter, so I’ll give that away,” she told Vanity Fair. “She’s weird, but in a different way and not in the way you’d assume, I would say. The relationship between Lydia (Ryder) and Astrid, my character, is very important. And it’s also really strange because it’s a lot of catching up and putting the pieces together of what’s gone on in Lydia’s life since, which is nice, I think, for anybody who loves the character and is excited to see her again.”

In the same interview, Ortega also opened up about how bagging this role in the most-anticipated sequel, which is set to hit theaters on Friday, September 6, 2024, has been a big moment in her acting career, which took a 360-degree turn after the record-breaking success of Netflix’s phenomenal horror-comedy series “Wednesday,”  which turned Ortega into an overnight global superstar during the end of 2022 as she played the iconic Wednesday Addams and received nominations for her portrayal at the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

From that experience, the actress revealed to Vanity Fair that, “I just became very confused emotionally” amid the success of the coming-of-age supernatural series for which Burton, 65, directed four out of the eight episodes of the first season while also serving as executive producer. “I didn’t know what to say or do.” She also says that it wasn’t until last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike when Ortega was in between filming the “Beetlejuice” sequel that she was able to take a breather and gain some much-needed perspective.

 

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“To still enjoy the job just as much 12 years later — having seen all of the ugly and wonderful and extreme — is pretty cool,” Ortega disclosed to the outlet. Moreover, she also states that it was “Beetlejuice 2” (also being released under the title “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” by Warner Bros.) that seemed to reignite her passion for acting once again. It will also bring the gothic aesthetics of the franchise to younger audiences in 2024 is part of the reason she “was excited that they were bringing it back.”

“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 said. “We need to introduce the younger generation that’s always on the phone to new artistic and creative ideas. The weirder you get with it, the more people you can get to see it, I think will probably do a lot for film in general.”

As a newcomer to the iconic franchise, Ortega is joining returning players which includes Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse (pronounced “Beetlejuice”), Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. Other cast includes Monica Bellucci as Betelgeuse’s wife, Willem Dafoe as a ghost detective who, in life, was a B movie action star. Additionally, Justin Theroux, Arthur Conti, and Burn Gorman have been cast in undisclosed roles for the sequel based on a story by Seth Grahame-Smith.

In addition to this, the actress who has now established herself as “Scream Queen,” also teased about the filming status of the second season of “Wednesday.” as she confirmed that each episode of the new season feels like an entire movie.

“I mean, in the first season we had episodes that really stood out visually, like the dance episode was a really big one for people, and that setting was very particular and it felt like ‘Prom Night,’ a little bit, or ‘Carrie,'” Ortega elaborated to Vanity Fair. “Every episode [of Season 2] that I’ve read so far is like that. It just stands out on its own as a very memorable scene or bit or setting, which I think is what I’m most excited for, because to pull that off for eight episodes is, I think, really incredible and really lucky.”

Previously, Ortega has also stated that the second season would also lean more into the horror aspect while ditching any romantic love interest for Wednesday. She also shared similar thoughts during last year’s Variety’s Actors on Actors, “We want to lean into the horror aspect of the show a little bit more,” Ortega said at the time. While also added, “because it is so lighthearted, and a show like this with vampires and werewolves and superpowers, you don’t want to take yourself too seriously.”

While you wait for the new season to return, begin streaming “Wednesday,” season one, exclusively on Netflix.

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