Tim Burton Sings the Praises of His WEDNESDAY and BEETLEJUICE 2 Star Jenna Ortega

Tim Burton is as busy as ever these days, as he’s waiting for the strikes to end so that he can get back to work, wrapping up the final few days of shooting Beetlejuice 2. The director was able to secure the film’s original star, Michael Keaton, who is returning to play the Ghost with the Most, as well as Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O'Hara as Delia Deetz, and newcomers to the story include Justin Theroux (The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible, Spectre, The Apartment) as Beetlejuice’s wife in the story, Willem Dafoe, who plays a ghoulish law enforcement officer in the Neitherworld, and Jenna Ortega, who is playing Lydia’s daughter in the story.

Ortega met Burton when she became the star of the hit Netflix series Wednesday, which Burton directs, and he was happy to bring her over to his beloved Beetlejuice franchise. He recently spoke about his career with BFI, and sang the young actress’s praises, saying:

"When I did Wednesday, the reason I loved it is I just related to the character so much. But to me, it could not have been done without her. You can write it good, you can do whatever you want to do, but that kind of a character would need such clarity and purity and strength. A person has to have that. So for me, she basically made the show that way. She's one of the most aware, not only as an actress, but everything, around the camera, the set. She's a very special talent. And she's done a lot of horror movies, which I love too. That gave her a special place in my heart. 'Oh, you're doing another horror. Good.'" 

Ortega has a lot of projects she’s in various stages of working on, but with her last several films and series being such huge hits, I have a feeling her career is going to go in a great direction. I look forward to seeing Wednesday Season 2, but for now there’s no return date. Beetlejuice 2 is set to hit theaters on September 6th, 2024.