Tim Burton admits meeting Jenna Ortega helped revive his career after ‘losing himself’-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro

Beetlejuice director Tim Burton has said he was ‘re-energised’ by Wednesday and working on his latest sequel project (Picture: Getty/EPA)

Tim Burton has admitted he became ‘disillusioned’ with the movie industry ahead of working on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and only became ‘re-energised’ while making Wednesday with Jenna Ortega.

The quirky filmmaker, who is presenting the premiere of his sequel at Venice Film Festival tonight, has had a storied career as a filmmaker with highly regarded movies like Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Sleepy Hollow.

However, he acknowledged more of a slump in recent years.

His cinematic releases before revisiting his wisecracking ‘Ghost with the Most’ were Disney remake flop Dumbo and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, neither of which delighted critics or fans.

During the Beetlejuice press conference at Venice, attended by Metro.co.uk, the 66-year-old director quipped ‘that’s nice for a change!’ when a journalist told him there had been a feeling of ‘happiness’ during the press screening.

Discussing his return to a beloved piece of cinema after 36 years, Burton revealed that it was ‘a very personal film’ that channelled the ‘spirit’ of the original – not that he watched it again while prepping for the shoot.

‘The past few years I’ve got a little bit disillusioned with the movie industry I would say,’ he told reporters. ‘And so I just realised, if I’m going to do anything again, I just want to do it from my heart and [make it] something that I want to do.’

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sees three generations of the Deetz family return to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy.

Lydia’s (Ryder) life is then turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened, releasing Betelgeuse (Keaton) once more.

Burton compared himself to Lydia’s character in the movie and how ‘sometimes your life takes a little bit of a turn’.

‘I lost myself a bit, so for me this movie was a re-energising. Getting back to the things I love doing, the way I love doing it and the people I love doing it with,’ he added.

Burton has called the Beetlejuice sequel a ‘very personal’ film (Picture: Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage)

‘I realised that’s the only way for me to be a success, is that I have loved doing it. I got a little bit lost along the way, but now with this one I feel it didn’t matter how it turned out, I just enjoyed and loved making it with all those people.’

Burton said the popularity of his Netflix series Wednesday – a spin-off from The Addams Family – didn’t influence his decision to sign on the dotted line to make Beetlejuice’s long-gestating sequel as he’d ‘been talking about it for years’ with original stars Michael Keaton and Ryder.

However, the making of the TV project gave him a new lease of life.

‘I did get re-energised doing Wednesday. I mean, walking the Carpathian Mountains in Romania – that does something to a person,’ the director revealed, also crediting the fun he had ‘in a weird way’ of making something for television on a movie schedule.

He also acknowledged the part Scream actress Ortega, 21, played.

‘Meeting Jenna obviously was such an important thing for me, and working with her, and then just thinking about the Lydia character and what happens 35 years later, thinking about my own life.’

Burton shared that it all came together to producer a ‘very simple, emotional’ film that is also ‘like a weird family movie’.

Ortega joked that she mainly ‘tried to mind my business in the corner’ when joining the cast of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which also includes Catherine O’Hara, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe and Justin Theroux.

She also revealed she trusted Burton ‘immensely’ after establishing a working relationship with him on Wednesday.

Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder return as Delia Deetz and her stepdaughter Lydia, with Jenna Ortega (R) joining the film as Lydia’s teenage daughter Astrid (Picture: Getty Images)

The cast, which also includes Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux and leading man Michael Keaton (second from R) all appeared to support the movie ahead of its premiere at Venice Film Festival (Picture: Getty)

Describing the key aspect to approaching playing Astrid, Ortega explained: ‘I think you hear Lydia has a daughter and you think that they’re going to be the same.

‘So for me, it was just making sure that I wasn’t ripping off lovely Winona’s work back in the day and making something new, but still pulling certain aspects and things that they share.’

In terms of making another Beetlejuice movie if this one is well-received, Burton played more coy than leading man Keaton.

‘Well let’s do the math. It took 35 years to do this one. Let’s say it takes another 30 – I’ll be over a hundred,’ joked the director. ‘I guess it’s possible with radical science these days, but I don’t think so.’

However, Keaton then leaped in to point out that his character ‘is okay’ when it comes to ageing, given that he’s already dead.

‘It’s possible!’ Burton laughingly conceded.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice premieres tonight at Venice Film Festival. It releases in UK cinemas on Friday, September 6.

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