- Winona Ryder will star opposite Jenna Ortega in the Beetlejuice follow up movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- The pair forged a great friendship on set, with director Tim Burton calling it ‘very special’
- Fans have noticed how protective Ortega seems to be of her co-star
She was once the child actor who starred in the horror comedy movie, Beetlejuice.
And now Winona Ryder is back on our screens in the movie’s sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The plot for the second film will see Ryder, 52, return as Lydia Deetz, the once troubled teen who almost ends up marrying Betelgeuse (played by Michael Keaton).
Now all grown up, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when the portal to the afterlife is accidentally once again opened by her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid – played by Jenna Ortega.
And despite their 31 year age gap, it appears that Ryder and Ortega have forged an unlikely friendship while shooting the movie.
In a new interview with the LA Times, director Tim Burton described the bond between the pair as “very special”.
“To me, there’s a vibe about them that is always very strong,” he admitted.
And although Ryder has worked with younger actors for a while – starring alongside the likes of Millie Bobby Brown and Sadie Sink in the Netflix hit, Stranger Things – it was Ortega’s love of cinema that saw them grow closer.
After Ortega mentioned I Am Cuba, the 1964 film by Soviet director Mikhail Kalatozov, during one of their early scenes, Ryder was immediately impressed – and the cinephile almost cried when she heard Ortega reference specific shots from the film.
Of the more junior colleagues she usually works with, Ryder added, “I don’t mean to sound so hopeless. There are a few that are just not interested in movies. Like, the first thing they say is, ‘How long is it?’”
‘That’s really her daughter!’
But it’s not just Ryder herself who has recognized the friendship she shares with Ortega.
On Twitter/X, fans have commented on their closeness during the press tour for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
In one clip, Ortega can be seen telling Ryder that she doesn’t have to remove her sunglasses, after a member of the paparazzi asked her to do so at the Venice premiere of the movie – a comment which was later praised by fans.
And they even noticed a budding friendship between the pair as they posed for photos on the red carpet. “Like, that’s her daughter for real,” wrote one fan.
