Jenna Ortega Confirms Details of ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Role

In an interview for Vanity Fair‘s Hollywood Issue, Jenna Ortega detailed her role as the daughter of Winona Ryder‘s beloved character in the Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

“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 revealed. “She’s weird, but in a different way and not in the way you’d assume, I would say. The relationship between Lydia 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.”  

The Hollywood Reporter first reported that Ortega would be playing the daughter to Ryder’s Lydia back in early 2023, noting the Wednesday star’s reunion with filmmaker Tim Burton.

When asked by VF about the dynamic between her Astrid and oddball goth Lydia, Ortega shared, “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. 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 former Scream star, who recently exited that franchise, also shared some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the production, such as having Beetlejuice‘s fictional town of Winter River, Connecticut, rebuilt in Vermont, which also served as the filming location for the Tim Burton classic. The film wrapped production late last year.

“They rebuilt Winter River, which was insane. All of the locals were so excited. But we were able to finish all of our Winter River stuff so that when the strike hit, they could take it all down,” she recalled. “I remember it being super-weird energy on set the last week. For a lot of the cast that was revisiting Vermont, it felt weird to rush such a sentimental moment for them, seeing that house again and being together and calling each other by the same names again.”

She continued, “But for the most part, up until the very last day, I feel like the shoot was a celebration of everyone being back together and doing practical effects again. It was probably the happiest I had ever seen Tim on a set, where he’s clapping at the monitor and shouting and laughing, which was really, really endearing.”

The sequel began its production in May 2023 amid the start of the writers strike, with a finished script from Wednesday showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. When the actors strike began in July, the film shut down, per SAG-AFTRA rules, with only a couple of days left of production. When the actors strike was resolved, the film returned to Vermont to finish.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on Sept. 6.