Jenna Ortega talks about her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice character Astrid

The 1988 Tim Burton-directed classic Beetlejuice (watch it HERE) is finally getting a sequel this year, with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice set to reach theatres on September 6th. Burton directed the sequel, for which Michael Keaton is back in the title role, Winona Ryder is reprising the role of Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara returns as Lydia’s stepmother Delia. We’ve known for a while that Jenna Ortega will be playing Lydia’s daughter in the film – and during a new interview with Vanity Fair, Ortega talked a little bit about working on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, revealing along the way that her character’s name is Astrid.

Commenting on the original film, Ortega said, “I had always loved the movie. I think the first time I saw it was actually at a friend’s house, and then the rest of the time, I’d see it whenever it was playing on TV around Halloween. Before I’d even seen the movie, I knew who Beetlejuice was. I knew who Lydia was. I was able to recognize costumes just because it was everywhere. … That’s why I was excited that they were bringing it back as well. 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. 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.“

When she was asked for details, she said, “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’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. I wouldn’t say (Astrid is) 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. 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. For me, Lydia is 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.“

Beetlejuice 2 was in development hell for decades before it finally got made. In 1990, Jonathan Gems was hired to write a sequel that was going to be titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. Burton considered having Daniel Waters rewrite that script, Pamela Norris did rewrite it, and Warner Bros. offered Kevin Smith the chance to do another rewrite. He turned it down. Seth Grahame-Smith was hired to write and produce a new version of a sequel in 2011. Mike Vukadinovich was brought on to rewrite his script in 2017.

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, co-creators and co-showrunners of Wednesday, have written the screenplay for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice that was actually filmed. Plot details are being kept under wraps. Brad Pitt’s Plan B is producing the sequel, which filmed in London before moving to Vermont and Massachusetts.

Ortega, Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara are joined in the cast by Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s wife, Willem Dafoe as a law enforcement officer in the afterlife, and Justin Theroux in an unspecified role.

Are you looking forward to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice? What do you think of what Jenna Ortega had to say about her character Astrid? Let us know by leaving a comment below.