'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' star also worked with Burton on the Netflix series 'Wednesday'
Jenna Ortega is giving fans an inside look at director Tim Burton's home.
During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the actress shared that the iconic director once invited her to his home for a meeting. When describing the residence, she mentioned the unique decor he had filled it with, including his figurines of what she called "little creatures."
"You walk in, and it’s the huge throne from ‘Alice in Wonderland,’" Ortega explained, adding, "There’s a jar of eyeballs in the bathroom."
Burton is known in Hollywood for being the eccentric mastermind behind some of the most whimsical and out-there movies, including "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Edward Scissorhands," "Sweeney Todd" and many more.
Jenna Ortega revealed that Tim Burton has a jar of eyeballs in a bathroom in his home. (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
'WEDNESDAY' STAR JENNA ORTEGA BRUSHES OFF WARDROBE MALFUNCTION: 'WHO GIVES A S--T'
The actress and the director first collaborated on season one of the popular Netflix show "Wednesday," on which Ortega played the titular character, Wednesday Addams. While unsure of what the meeting at Burton's home was regarding, Ortega did not expect it to take the turn it did.
"He just pretty much plopped a script in my hand, and it was 'Beetlejuice,'" she said.
"You walk in and it’s the huge throne from ‘Alice in Wonderland’… There’s a jar of eyeballs in the bathroom."
— Jenna Ortega
After years of fans begging for a sequel to the cult classic 1988 film, a follow-up film was announced in February 2022. Ortega recalled reading the script for the first time, saying, "Instantly I was like, ‘Oh man, they’ve done a thing here.’"
The sequel, titled "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," sees the return of many of the stars from the original film, including Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Michael Keaton, who will reprise his role as the rowdy ghost, Beetlejuice.
Ortega stars in the sequel to Burton's 1988 movie "Beetlejuice." (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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When speaking with Vanity Fair, Burton called Ortega "one of my favorite people to work with," adding "she’s different from anybody" he has collaborated with in the past. He also compared her to Ryder, who has now appeared in four of his films.
"They both, as young people, had a very strong soul," he said. "They’re like silent movie actors."
Ryder and Burton first worked together on the original "Beetlejuice," when she was 17 years old. She would also go on to star in Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" in 1990 and "Frankenweenie" in 2012.
Both Ryder and Ortega have found major success since working with Burton. Ryder went on to receive two Academy Award nominations for her work in "The Age of Innocence" and "Little Women," and now stars on Netflix's "Stranger Things," while Ortega received an Emmy nomination for her work in "Wednesday," and starred in the reboot of "Scream."
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Ortega was nominated for an Emmy for her work in "Wednesday." (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
"She’s one of the most authentic people I’ve ever known," Ryder told Vanity Fair via email about Ortega.
Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital.
