Jenna Ortega has recalled how director Tim Burton floated the idea of her role in his Beetlejuice sequel.

The Scream actress, who worked with the famed director on her Netflix show Wednesday, met with Burton after the series premiered in November 2022 to discuss ideas for the second season.

However, when she opened her journal to share her thoughts, Burton placed the script for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on top of it and asked her if she would be interested in the part of Astrid.

“I went and met him again and when I went to, you know, open up my journal and present these ideas, he just placed the script of Beetlejuice in my journal. And he didn’t tell anyone,” she shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “He just said, ‘Oh, OK. There’s no pressure, Jenna. I think there’s a part for you. But again, if you don’t want to do it, like, don’t.’ I just said, ‘OK, thanks Tim.'”

Ten minutes after the meeting, the 21-year-old pulled her car over at the side of the Pacific Coast Highway in California and read the script.

“I sat on the rocks in front of the water and I just read the script for an hour and then, I called my team and I said, ‘I can’t tell you what I’m agreeing to but I’m agreeing to it… I’m not available from this time to this time.’ It was that quick,” she continued.

The actress added that she “never could have anticipated” being involved in a sequel to Burton’s 1988 fantasy comedy and admitted she was “terrified” of joining returning stars Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder, who plays her on-screen mother.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will premiere at the Venice Film Festival next week before being released in cinemas on 6 September.

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