Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Interview: Jenna Ortega, Catherine O'Hara, Monica Bellucci & more on sequel

the juice is [Music] loose so Katherine um this is a project we've been teased with for like decades now um a lot of us the big fans never thought it was going to happen um was it something you yeah was it something you hope you would get a chance to do again reprise this character I would hear about you know the possibility of a sequel or another Beetle Juice movie and I think what am I not hearing about it is it happening so my I think my main reaction was please don't do it without me yeah yeah let me know if it's happening I think the fans would have revolted if that had happened um Jenna was it was it easy to kind of fit into this sort of family reunion and know working with Tim on Wednesday did that make the transition a little smoother the working on Wednesday definitely helped I would I would never say that it's easy because there's a lot of pressure and I know you know Lydia is such a beloved character that to even be related to her is a challenge within itself just because of all that she carries with her um but because Wednesday was such a long shoot we were shooting in Romania for eight months I felt like Tim and I had really developed a rapport um and just kind of like a a work relationship that was really efficient and we just so happen to have similar sense of humor and um a lot of the same taste on things so I think that well every day I showed up and I was like oh my God like I'm here with all of these people from the original I don't know what I'm doing what am I doing here existential crisis mode it did help to you know see a familiar face and know that okay well at least I can have like an honest conversation and not be judged and if anything just be encouraged and um collaborative with you're so cool she was so cool the trying to claim she was nervous she's a very nice woman um you know I was talking to Tim the other day and he said you know when he first saw Michael back in the makeup and everything it was like he was transported back to 1987 I wonder if the same thing for you seeing him and yourself back in like the deia makeup and stuff it was more fun seeing him just CU you know it's 36 years later I don't like to be obsessed with age but you know I've got a natural face so I've naturally aged in those 36 years yeah little scary to you know you play different characters and that's a new thing that's a new face and you don't take it so personally but when it's like it's almost like it's so exposed to to have played that character that long ago to play the same character now and to you know embrace the the difference in time and the aging and it is beautiful and I'm grateful to be alive and grateful to be on this movie and work with everyone and meet Jenna work with Jenna um but yeah and then to see Michael's face up though was just so cuz he did not age he's always been dead that's right not fair Beetle Juice has not miss a beat yeah um no it's just so great and you know between takes he's just himself I mean you know soon as you roll he's deeply into Beetlejuice wow he had it took him like a millisecond to get back into it solidly there uh but between takes he's Michael so he's got that face and say isn't this great we're here do you believe it we're doing the movie isn't that great great guys so recognize this P never seen that for my life or after life Monica so there's a sequence I don't want to spoil anything but there's a sequence in this movie uh black and white sequence that I think will Delight a lot of uh fans of those types of movies especially the older Italian horror movies um I want to know what it was like making that and then seeing how it turned out oh it was so funny of course and in this film there are many references to Italian Cinema to Mario Bava and um also there is a moment where be ch speaks in Italian and there is also an Nara of Maria kalas Maria kalas of course she was Greek she was born in New York by the same time she became a huge star uh in Italy so we really can feel that Tim uh loves Italian Cinema is inspired by Italian directors and also Danny De Vito is in the movie and we have a moment together that is so strong because is the one who wakes up uh Dolores from death and I have to say that when Tim told me there is a key role in this film for which I thought about you I was very happy to accept it and to play it it's a different kind of role have you ever played a role quite like this before no no of course not and also I I haven't done many body uh characters and Dore is to me more than a monster she's a creature and um and to me she has this Duality because she's dangerous but also funny and to me she's a metaphor of life because we all have emotional scars and just full of scars but she's coming back she's strong she's looking for vengeance and there is this moment where she puts herself together where uh I mean it took two three days to film it and I had to learn an entire choreography and I tried to act like a mime like a um like really a broken doll and this role is very much about body language and it was so much fun I saw outside that there's a uh a Dolores toy which I'm wondering what's it like when you see yourself in toy form has that ever happened before that is funny you know I think she's an incredible Halloween character at the same time and you know I really enjoyed making this movie and I was really helped because uh I had three hours of makeup every day and to get into these beautiful sets to wear those amazing costumes of Colleen Atwood and also Tim loves to draw so they always drawings of situations and characters and to get into these sets because you know he likes practical effects instead of CGI and this is very helpful for actors great thank you so much spill your Gods who wants to go first all right I will see I'm willing to do the work so like Rory you know gives you a chance to kind of cover the entire spectrum of emotions it's a really ideal comedic character to play uh can you talk about hitting all those crazy notes throughout we uh it was a lot of conversations with Tim just talking about um what would be a funny of course um but what wanting to really sort of ground it in to make the relationship seem real I mean I know it's such an absurd character and such an absurd relationship but we really wanted it to feel like so we sort of struck on a bunch of things like that he's emotional that he is um sort of quick to tears um obviously a complete narcissist um that the relationship is toxic um that he um is sort of a gaslighter uh with Lydia um and he has sort of that ability to while caregiving uh to Lydia sort of play the victim as well like so he's a yeah he's just sort of a hodgepodge of really fun and he's not very bright you know um so we sort of swirled that all together in a pot and then thought oh that'll make us laugh that made us laugh anyway you get to do BU out some real good screams a few times oh yeah I do practice your your scream voice no I I I did not I I would just save it until I had to do it and then just do it um well you mentioned collaborating with Tim I mean how big does he kind of let you go how much is it like you know his ideas first and then the screenplay of course and then how much are you allowed to do your interpretation he is he does what I think all smart directors do is once he has assembled a team that he's happy with and I'm talking about not just actors but prop makers and set designers and costume designers and hair and makeup people he really like um not only encourages but lets them to sort of you know just crank the volume up on their their specific area of talent you know um and and sort of go nuts you know and that was like RIT large all across the set and and and this film you know everyone is doing is bringing their you know their a game yeah and obviously there's an emphasis on the practical effects and sets and everything and how much does that Aid you as an actor does it help to be does 100% of the work for you because you know I mean the minute I walk on or any of us walked onto those sets and saw the level of specificity in our clothing in our makeup you know the minute I had that stupid wig with the ponytail um you're kind of like you're already 98% there as long as you've remembered your lines and can you know service them you're in good shape um you know Lydia Deets is iconic character I don't know how much Beetlejuice meant to you uh but for for a generation of guys it's like so must have been pretty cool acting opposite her yeah I mean Winona I've known Winona for a while um and so to do this with her was a real hoot like it was a real gas like um yeah I mean it's so interesting because you know when I saw that movie I mean I think everyone who was you know were roughly the same age me and Winona and you know when I saw the movie obviously um I was not an actor um but I had such a crush on her but more importantly I think I had a real identification with her as like just sort of an angsty teenager you know and I was like I I feel similarly to that person and that somehow was represented on screen obviously I think Jenna who's sort of the heart of this one uh brings that exact same pathos to her character as well and what it like when you see Michael in the full costume full makeup I me you know for 36 years I've been been having to watch terrible versions of Beetlejuice at Halloween parties uh in the Halloween aisle at uh you know the Halloween store so to finally see it done properly again and have it be Michael actual Keaton was pretty special and and finally without spoiling anything is there a sequence in the movie that was in you know especially cool for you to film or that you think the audience will really get a kick out of I wasn't in it um but or them but the the ending of the film I found particularly poignant and then there's a whole section uh that's in Italian you know and that section you know that's something that like you go like who does that that's so great and it was even like sort of dubbed in that weird Italian kind of 1960s felines you know those were the things where I like oh my God forget like you know obviously the wonderful actors we have this is a really really good piece of film making like just just step back and like let that film uh exist because it's so good it's just so well-made it's like a really well-made beautiful piece of art or furniture or something it's just great so those that was that Italian section particularly just really tickled me I hope it it Keys some kids into like look into Mario Bava movies yeah saage exactly yeah yeah awesome man thank you so much appreciate [Music] la [Music]