ThoughBeetlejuice Beetlejuicedoesn’t exist without Michael Keaton’s titular character,Tim Burton makes a great point about why Jenna Ortega’s Astrid is the anchor of the sequel. When the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 horror-comedy was officially announced, the initial appeal was the confirmation of Tim Burton back in the director’s chair andBeetlejuice 2’s returning cast membersMichael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. The returns of Betelgeuse and the Deetz family reiterated which figures were the true emotional crux of the franchise, but one more piece was still required to complete the puzzle for a compelling story.
Thankfully, Burton noted in his director’s commentary that he wouldn’t have done the sequel had Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara not all agreed to come back. However, the returning cast members and Burton have agreed on the new addition toBeetlejuice 2’s Deetz familystory that gives the sequel its necessary heart and soul: Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter Astrid. Burton describes Astrid as the anchor ofBeetlejuice 2,elaborating that Ortega’s character is the audience’s eyes into this world and the heart of the primary emotional conflict, which highlights how crucial it was to get her character, in particular, right.
Tim Burton Is Right: Beetlejuice 2 Doesn’t Work Without Getting Astrid Right
Astrid Is The Sequel’s Source Of Reality & Emotional Heart
Beetlejuice 2can’t happen without Michael Keaton coming back as Betelgeuse, butthe story and pathos of the sequel aren’t effective if Astrid isn’t written and cast right.Michael Keaton’s screen time as Betelgeusein theBeetlejuicemovies is only about 17 minutes each, so while he’s the biggest requirement for a sequel, his character can be plugged into almost any story that Burton and the creative team come up with. However, for that movie to work, there has to be a captivating, compelling, and character-driven story, which, inBeetlejuice 2’s case, is centered around Astrid Deetz.
Jenna Ortega Makes A Very Good Point About Beetlejuice 2’s Surprising Astrid & Delia Relationship
While Astrid and Lydia’s relationship takes a lot of focus in Beetlejuice 2, Jenna Ortega makes an interesting observation about Delia.
ForBeetlejuice 2to successfully come together,Astrid has to be written correctly and feel believable in this world. She can’t be a carbon copy of Lydia, but she also can’t be the polar opposite. If audiences can’t become invested in Astrid’s story, romance with Jeremy, and chemistry with Ryder’s Lydia and O’Hara’s Delia, then none of the other moving parts are held together well. Thankfully, Ortega proves to be a natural with a convincing, engaging performance as Astrid, which allows for all the other sillier subplots with Bob, Delores, and Wolf Jackson to play out as bizarrely as possible.
Why Tim Burton Really Chose To Cast Jenna Ortega As Lydia Deetz’s Daughter In Beetlejuice 2
Burton Saw Similarities To Ryder When First Meeting Ortega
Diving deeper intoBeetlejuice 2’s casting choices, the director’s commentary also elaborates on why Burton felt that Jenna Ortega was perfect to play Lydia Deetz’s daughter. Burton noted that when he first met Ortega whilecasting Netflix’sWednesdayshow,he got a very similar feeling from her to when he first met Winona Ryderbefore 1988’sBeetlejuice. According to Burton, both were “strong, special, and very creative,” and quickly drew a connection between the two.
Tim Burton first gave Jenna Ortega the script forBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceshortly afterWednesday season 1 premiered on Netflix in fall 2022.
Eventually, Burton began thinking of placing the two together, noting thatimagining Ortega as Ryder’s daughter inBeetlejuice 2felt extremely “real” to him. Given how important their mother-daughter dynamic and familial chemistry is toBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s story, a good portion of the sequel’s success can be attributed to Burton’s genius casting of Ortega.
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.
