Jenna Ortega is opening up about her role in the forthcoming Beetlejuice sequel and why she’s excited to bring “weird, strange, off-putting stories” back to theaters.
The Wednesday actress stars in the Tim Burton film, titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, as Astrid, the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder).
Ortega described her character as “weird, but in a different way and not in the same way you’d assume,” when chatting with Vanity Fair about the role.
“I wouldn’t say she’s bright and sunny at all. She doesn’t go to the opposite end of the spectrum, but any kid who becomes a teenager wants to be removed from their parents,” she said.
“I think they instantly just fight whatever it is that their parent loves. So I think it’s a little bit of that. I’m not wearing pink and a cheerleader, but I am a little bit against my mom’s history or past. We butt heads quite a bit.”
The scream queen also reflected on the impact Ryder’s character in the 1988 original film has had on her, calling her “the coolest ever.”
“So then to play her daughter and also have to be like, ‘Mom…’ and roll your eyes was definitely more challenging for me as an actor, but super fun to play,” she gushed.
Ortega added of the franchise’s comeback, “of course [studios] want people in seats and you’ve got to do reboots or sequels or things like that … but to bring Beetlejuice back — of all of the stories — is so good because people need to revisit weird, strange, off-putting stories again.”
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