Jenna Ortega On Bond With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Co-Star Winona Ryder: 'She Helped Me Feel Less Alone'

Jenna Ortega started acting at a young age, however, her popularity skyrocketed after she played the lead role in Tim Burton’s Netflix series Wednesday. Following this success, Ortega landed a major role in the upcoming sequel to Beetlejuice, where she will star alongside the film’s original leads, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. Although Keaton and Ryder bring years of experience to the project, Ortega is the fresh face of the cast. Despite being the newcomer on set, the Stranger Things actress turned mentor for Ortega and helped her feel more comfortable on set. Although they are friendly in real life, their on-screen roles are quite different, despite they’ll be seen as mother and daughter.

In a conversation with Harpers Bazaar, the Scream star said, “She definitely helped me feel less alone. It’s a very isolating experience and a scary one. Being able to speak to somebody who had witnessed that firsthand, maybe even more, was a great source of comfort for me, and I can’t thank her enough for that.”

Jenna Ortega previously admired Winona Ryder by calling her “loveliest, sweetest” and one of her favourite people. In an earlier interview with ENews, Ortega described Ryder as a genuinely lovely person and shared how grateful she was to work with her. Ortega feels that Ryder is a truly special individual.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice continues the story of Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder, as she and her family return to their home in Winter River, Connecticut, following the death of Charles Deetz. The plot gets interesting when Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, portrayed by Jenna Ortega, accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife and releases Betelgeuse, played by Michael Keaton. The sequel also sees the return of Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz.

The cast also includes Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Tim Burton, the movie is scheduled to release on September 6.

Besides her role in the Beetlejuice sequel, Jenna Ortega will appear in several other projects, including Wednesday season 2, an untitled film with The Weeknd and Barry Keoghan, Tommy Lee Jones’ Finestkind and she’ll also appear alongside Paul Rudd in Death of a Unicorn. Meanwhile, Winona Ryder is set to return as Joyce Byers in the final season of Stranger Things, which is expected to release next year.