Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's Jenna Ortega Says Original Movie Frightened Her as a Kid: 'I Was Scared of Everything'

Mar. 15, 2025

Jenna Ortega in New York City on Aug. 17, 2024.Photo:Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Jenna Ortegawasn’t always a horror fan.

In fact, theBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceactress — who is known for darker roles — said on theTodayshow Monday, Aug. 19, that as a child, she “was scared of everything,” including the originalBeetlejuicemovie.

“I loved theGremlinsbut I hated them at the same time,” Ortega, 21, toldHoda Kotb. “So I was always very confused, but I think that I got older and I realized that excitement is the same as fear. So it’s like, when I’m scared, I can just tell myself I’m excited.”

“And you can do the same vice versa, but I just try to place it somewhere else, ‘cause I hated being scared all the time,” she explained.

Of her titular role on Netflix’sWednesday, Ortega added, “That one really came out of nowhere because I was a really expressive child when I was younger, so to be known for this deadpan persona, it’s so funny to my family.”

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Jenna OrtegaBeetlejuice Beetlejuice(2024).Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Thankfully, Ortega’s fear of theMichael Keatoncharacter subsided enough for her to answers “an immediate yes” to starring inBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, with only “5 minutes of hesitation.”

“Tim [Burton]kind of threw me off guard when he told me this,” she said of the director, whom she has also worked with onWednesday. “He gave me the script, I pulled over on the side of the road and just read it as soon as I possibly could.”

“Within two hours, I called my team,” Ortega continued. “I said, ‘I can’t tell you what this is about, but just know I’m doing another job with Tim.’ "

She also raved about costarring with acting legend Keaton, 72, plus his fellow returning cast memberWinona Ryderand new additionsMonica BellucciandWillem Dafoe.

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“And then to be connecting on a job … as inspirational and inventive asBeetlejuice, to see Michael as Beetlejuice in person, it was unbelievable,” the actress said.

Speaking with PEOPLE in January, O’Hara, 70, praised the “great” Ortega, adding, “Love her. What a cool young woman. Wow.”

Of filming the first movie, she said, “It was really fun. And doing this lastBeetlejuicewas really fun too. I know [Tim] really wanted to get that feeling back on a set, and he got it.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuicematerializes in theaters Sept. 6.

source: people.com