'I Had Sort Of Gotten My Hopes Up:' Winona Ryder Reflects on Getting Beetlejuice Sequel Made

It's been over three decades since the original Beetlejuice introduced fans to Winona Ryder's Lyida Deetz. Although the actor is excited about returning to the role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, she was unsure if a sequel would ever get the green light.

Ryder recalled her doubts about the sequel, saying she strongly believes fate intervened until the perfect actor was born. "There were a lot of times when I had sort of gotten my hopes up and, but there was never, I felt like it was sort of this kismet fate because I realized that we had to wait for Jenna [Ortega] to be born and grow up," Ryder said. "Because she really just fit, she sort of completed this puzzle, you know. She was such an amazing addition, as was Justin [Theroux] and Willem [Dafoe] and Monica [Bellucci]. I mean, it's like a dream cast."

Ryder also described how she felt while filming the sequel. "Every moment of being there I was like very present. I made sure because I was, it's like an absolute dream come true, and you just want to really be present for every single, literally every single moment," she said. "And I mean, of all of the things that I've done, it's really one of the most like special things to just be back with these people that meant the world to me. It kind of spoiled me as an actress and, you know, were so inclusive when I was a kid."

Ryder and Burton Have a Strong Working Relationship

She also praised director Tim Burton and touched on their working relationship. "We had such a great bond and that [Burton] was able to recreate that even with all of the buzz or anticipation," Ryder explained. "It still felt like we were somehow like under, we were, again just like no studio presence like and that might be a testament to the great producers, but we just felt this like liberating, like inspiring in the moment like, 'Oh let's try this,' just this freedom because I trust him so much. I know he's not going to use anything that doesn't work."

Discussions about a Beetlejuice sequel have been ongoing since the first movie hit screens in 1988. Ryder previously revealed that she held secret meetings with Burton to get the project off the ground. "There were a lot of times my agents didn't know that I was meeting up with him," the actor explained. Ryder was so committed to the sequel that she told the Duffer Brothersshe would only join the cast of Stranger Things if she was allowed to film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. "Luckily, it worked out. That was my one condition," she said of her unique demand.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hit movie theaters worldwide on Sept. 6, 2024.