The typecast concerns around Jenna Ortega starring in Beetlejuice 2 have already been proven wrong by its director Tim Burton. The highly-anticipated sequel to Burton’s ’80s classic Beetlejuice finds Ortega pairing up with Michael Keaton, who so memorably brought the Ghost with the Most to life over thirty years ago, as the grown daughter of Lydia Deetz. Ortega has been riding a wave of popularity ever since starring in Netflix’s Wednesday, created by Burton, which focuses on the misanthropic daughter of Gomez and Morticia Addams. Fans have wondered if Ortega’s star-making turn as Wednesday will impact her performance as another character with a gothic wardrobe and dour outlook on life.
In Beetlejuice, Lydia was turned into a spooky icon by ’90s It-Girl and Burton darling Winona Ryder, who he collaborated with on Edward Scissorhands a few years later. Some of the most exciting things to expect from Beetlejuice 2 include Ryder returning as Lydia, and Catherine O’Hara, who played Lydia’s mother, snobby artist Deelia Deetz, also reprising her hysterical role, lending authenticity and continuity to Burton’s world-building. Fortunately, a close look at Burton’s filmography can assuage fans’ fears about whether Ortega being typecast as a goth girl will ruin the success of Beetlejuice 2.
Winona Ryder’s Tim Burton History Proves Jenna Ortega Won’t Always Play Gothic Characters
Looking at the collaboration between Winona Ryder and Tim Burton after Beetlejuice proves that Jenna Ortega won’t always play gothic characters even if she appears in another Burton project. Ryder went from playing goth Lydia in Beetlejuice to preppy and popular teen Kim in Edward Scissorhands. Ortega may have played another goth in Wednesday, and she’s expected to play a similar character as Lydia’s daughter in Beetlejuice 2, but that doesn’t mean Burton will only cast her in this type of role from here on out.
Ryder’s Lydia may even make a case for why Ortega won’t always play gothic characters if she’s changed significantly since Beetlejuice. At the end of the movie, she’s seen to be considerably happier, and even wearing her school uniform instead of her customary black lace and giant sunhat. It’s possible she won’t be a gothic character at all but someone completely different after becoming a mother. It’s possible that Burton has something special in mind for Ryder’s portrayal, maybe even an amalgamation of Lydia and Kim, proving that Lydia’s fashion sensibilities weren’t “just a phase” but her gloomy outlook on life was.
Ortega’s Beetlejuice 2 Role Can Still Introduce A Typecast Twist
Beetlejuice 2 might still give fans a typecast twist if Ortega’s character doesn’t turn out to be goth at all. In the same way that Lydia might be different from the way fans remember her, it’s possible that her daughter won’t be as gothic as she was as a teenager. It’s expected that since playing Wednesday, Ortega will automatically be given attributes from Lydia’s original characterization, but Burton could surprise us. Ortega had a lot of say when it came to how Wednesday was depicted and Burton took her suggestions to heart in the writers room, so they may have come up with an entirely different approach to Lydia’s daughter.
Ortega has been very outspoken about how much creative input she likes to have with her characters, particularly since her experience filming Wednesday, so she could actually be playing a character in Beetlejuice 2 that’s more like Ryder’s character in Edward Scissorhands. No doubt Ryder herself has given the young performer some suggestions on how to make a role unique even in the face of potential typecasting. With the original cast returning, as well as composer Danny Elfman, and everything we know about Beetlejuice 2 so far, the foundation is there for Burton and Ortega to give fans a few fun surprises.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
