Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Winona Ryder says movie couldn’t have been made without Jenna Ortega
Winona Ryder thinks that the involvement of Jenna Ortega was key to getting the long-awaited sequel 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' to the big screen.
Winona Ryder doesn't think ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ could've been made without Jenna Ortega.
The 52-year-old actress has finally been given the chance to reprise her role as Lydia Deetz in the upcoming comedy horror sequel and believes that her 21-year-old co-star - who plays her daughter Astrid in the picture - was the key to getting the project off the ground.
She told ComicBook.com: "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 realized that we had to wait for Jenna to be born and grow up and be like perfect because she really just fit, she sort of completed this puzzle, you know."
Ryder also praised newcomers Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci for giving her the "dream cast" to work with.
She said: "And she was such an amazing addition, as was Justin and Willem and Monica. I mean, it's like a dream cast.”
The actress added she was "very present" throughout the production of the movie - which sees Michael Keaton return as the titular ghost - while describing the experience of returning as Lydia as "an absolute dream come true".
She recalled: "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.
"And I mean, of all of the things that I've done, it's really one of the most 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."
Ryder also gushed about working with director Tim Burton again and emphasised how the pair had "such a great bond" that was recreated during the making of the sequel.
She said: "Tim was, you know, we had such a great bond and he was able to recreate that for [us], 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 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."
