Winona Ryder Found Her Beetlejuice 2 Character 'Hard to Imagine' (2024)

Beetlejuice's Lydia Deetz grew up differently than Winona Ryder expected. The actress, who first portrayed the beloved character in Tim Burton's 1988 classic, returns as Lydia for the anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It's been 36 years since fans initially met Lydia, the sensitive goth girl at the center of Tim Burton's iconic film, and they'll have their expectations of how Lydia should be as an adult. As for Ryder, she says that envisioning Lydia all grown up "was hard to imagine." Speaking with Slash Film, Ryder shared:

"I think certainly, I never pictured Lydia either having children or in any type of relationship. I just always thought she was just probably in her own world as she got older. Just sort of in the attic and happy, but alone."

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Comedy

Fantasy

Horror

Release Date

September 6, 2024

Director

Tim Burton

Cast

Jenna Ortega , Michael Keaton , Monica Bellucci , Justin Theroux , Willem Dafoe , Winona Ryder , Catherine O'Hara

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Seth Grahame-Smith , David Katzenberg , Michael McDowell , Mike Vukadinovich , Larry Wilson

Studio

KatzSmith Productions, Plan B Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions

Ryder's vision of Lydia definitely seems on brand, but not only is Lydia not in the attic alone, but she's mom to a teen daughter and the host of a television series titled Ghost House With Lydia Deetz. Ryder says adapting to this version of Lydia began to take shape once Jenna Ortega (who portrays her daughter Astrid) and Justin Theroux (who portrays Lydia's boyfriend Rory) came into play.

"I think once we got there and once Jenna and I bonded and once Justin came on board… I mean, I think everyone who's as old as I am now, we've all been in those things where you're just like, 'What was I thinking, in terms of the relationship I have?' But I don't know what young Lydia, I don't think she would ever have expected to be in front of a camera."

Beetlejuice Beetlejuicereunites Ryder with Beetlejuice castmates Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara, and director Burton. Along with Ortega and Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Burn Gorman, Danny DeVito, Arthur Conti, and Filipe Cates join the cast as new additions.

What Can We Expect of Jenna Ortega's Astrid?

The anticipated sequel follows three generations of the Deetz family as they deal with the death of Charles Deetz. The family reunites at their Winter Haven home, where Lydia's teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife, rereleasing Beetlejuice.

It is not hard to imagine that many fans will be expecting Astrid to be very much the same character as her mother was in the original movie. According to Ortega, however, that's not the case. During an interview with PEOPLE in June, the Wednesday actress said that Astrid is "but in a different way and not in the way you'd assume." This, though, doesn't mean she's "bright and sunny."

Ortega also opened up about Lydia's return, telling the publication:

"... it's also really strange because it's a lot of catching up and putting the pieces together of what's gone on in Lydia's life since, which is nice, I think, for anybody who loves the character and is excited to see her again."

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will open the 81st Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2024, before landing in theaters on September 6. The film is expected to make quite a splash at the box office, and likely to become one of the biggest September releases of all time (2017's It currently tops that list with $123 million).