Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Winona Ryder Recalls False Starts Leading up to Sequel Actually Being Made

Winona Ryder says that they just had to wait for the right cast.

By Nicole Drum

The wait for a sequel to Beetlejuice was a long one — 36 years to be exact — and it isn't just fans of the film that had hopes there would be more. Star Winona Ryder did, too. Speaking with ComicBook, Ryder said that there were times that she had gotten her hopes up for a Beetlejuice sequel but that she also feels like the timing of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which opens in theaters next week, was fate because they had to wait for the right people to come along — in this case, Jenna Ortega, who plays Astrid Deetz in the eagerly anticipated sequel.

"There were a lot of times when I was, you know, I had sort of gotten my hopes up and, but there was never, I felt like it was sort of this kismet fate because I, I realized that we had to wait for Jenna to be born and grow up and be like the perfect because she really just fit, she sort of completed this puzzle, you know," Rider said.  "And she was such an amazing addition, as was Justin [Theroux] and Willem [Dafoe] and Monica [Bellucci]. I mean, it's like a dream cast."

Rider also said that getting to finally make Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a dream come true for her and that she wanted to be present for "every single moment".

"Every moment of being there I was like very present. I made sure because I was, it's like an absolute dream come true and you just want to really be present for every single, literally every single moment." Ryder said. "And I mean, of all of the things that I've done, it's really one of the most like special things to just be back with these people that meant the world to me. It kind of spoiled me as an actress and you know, were so inclusive when I was a kid."

She continued, "Tim was, you know, we had such a great bond and that he was able to recreate that for even with all of the buzz or anticipation and you know, that it still felt like we were somehow like under, we were, again just like no studio presence like and that might be a testament to the great producers, but we just felt this like liberating, like inspiring in the moment like, oh let's try this, just this freedom because I trust him so much. I know he's not going to use anything that doesn't work."

Jenna Ortega Met Michael Keaton in Full Beetlejuice Makeup

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Ortega revealed that she met her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costar Michael Keaton for the first time while the actor just so happened to be in full Beetlejuice makeup.

"He came up behind me, I was getting a hair and makeup test, and I got a tap on the shoulder. I turned around and it was just a jump scare, for sure," Ortega said. "He was like, 'Oh hey, I'm Michael,' and he had, you know, mold peeling off his face and I played it cool. And then it was cool until I met him for a second time out of hair and makeup because I forgot that I had already met him."

Related:

What is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice About?

Here's how the Beetlejuice description is described: "Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem." 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is scheduled to debut in theaters on September 6th.

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