“A Younger Version Of Myself”: Winona Ryder & Jenna Ortega On Their Intense Emotional Bond While Filming Beetlejuice 2
Summary
Beetlejuice Beetlejuicestars Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder explain how the film made Tim Burton believe in movies again. 36 years after the originalBeetlejuicestarring Michael Keaton, Burton is now poised to return to the world of his 1988 cult classic in a new sequel.Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s storysees Jenna Ortega’s Astrid Deetz accidentally summon Keaton’s bio-exorcist, Betelgeuse, and unleash afterlife mayhem in the real world, with O’Hara returning as Delia Deetz and Ryder as Lydia Deetz.
In recent interviews withScreen Rant, both O’Hara and Ryder reveal that they saw work onBeetlejuice Beetlejuicecreatively reinvigorate Burton. O’Hara, in particular,reveals that the legendary filmmaker had become somewhat burnt out due to studio interference, but theBeetlejuicesequel didn’t have this problem. Ryder, on the other hand, celebrates Burton returning to the “same energy that he had on the first one.” Check out their comments below:
Catherine O’Hara: Yes. And when I first met him for this, I could see he needed to be reinvigorated, because that’s the way he spoke. He was at a place where he just wanted to get back to those early days; what it meant for him, not so many eyeballs over the shoulder, just letting go of people thinking they know him. I mean, I’m speaking for him right now, and I shouldn’t be. But the impression I got was that it got out of control, who he became.
And he just wanted to go back to that feeling where no one’s watching, you’re just trying to be interesting and funny and express your creativity. And I was honestly so happy for him every day on the set of this movie. He was so alive and happy and full of great ideas and so open to ideas, and it was just a really freeing, creative experience.
Winona Ryder: Oh, yeah! That’s what I mean; he had the same energy that he had on the first one, where we never felt like there was a studio giving us notes. And that might be just a testament to the great producers, but he would just get an idea on the spot, and [say], “Let’s try this!”
He was the first director who ever asked me what I thought when I was 15. When you’re that age, you’re usually sort of told, “This is where you stand, and this is your cue.” And Tim always included me, which was very meaningful to me. He’d be, “Well, what do you think?” And it was such a [gift] that he did that, that he got that, and that we became really good friends on that first one. And he’s the same guy. He’s just such a genius. It’s just special; the most special experience.
Beetlejuice Ending Explained: How It Sets Up Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice 2 Return
Beetlejuice’s ending leaves a lot of details unclear, but the Tim Burton horror comedy does reveal what happens to Beetlejuice, Lydia, and Barbara.
Will Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Be Tim Burton’s Comeback?
Burton’s Filmography Explained
For many, the heyday of Burton’s career remains his work in the ‘80 and ’90s. While he’s certainly made some successful and beloved films over the last two decades,many of his recent projects have been met with a more mixed reception. It’s notable, too, that many of Burton’s projects since 2000 have been major studio blockbusters and not the smaller films that he originally became known for, speaking to studio interference that O’Hara mentioned.
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Since 2010, Burton has madeAlice in Wonderland,Dark Shadows,Frankenweenie,Big Eyes,Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, andDumbo, but onlyAlice in Wonderlandwas a major hit.Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, then, has an opportunity to not only be a more critically acclaimed entry in Burton’s filmography, but also his first big box office hit in 14 years. Keaton himself has already teased thatBeetlejuice Beetlejuicehas featured Burton returning to very classical methods of production, suggesting the movie will appeal to those who liked the original.
The impressiveBeetlejuice Beetlejuicecastcould certainly help get younger audiences to theaters, and Ortega, especially, has become a big name due to her role inWednesday, which Burton produces, and the recentScreamfilms. If the upcoming sequel finds success and strikes a chord with audiences, it could mark a new era for Burton in which he returns to the style of some of his beloved older films. In any case, though, makingBeetlejuice Beetlejuicehas evidently been a very positive experience for those involved.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
