Jenna Ortega met Michael Keaton lengthy earlier than they joined forces for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — in her goals!

Whereas showing on The New York Instances’ The Interview podcast, the Wednesday star, 21, recalled how her childhood was tormented by Keaton’s iconic spooky character from the 1988 movie lengthy earlier than earlier than she was solid in its upcoming sequel.

Ortega, who mentioned she first watched the movie round age 8 or 9, revealed to host Lulu Garcia-Navarro that she was terrified of the movie — which was a typical prevalence on the time. “I used to be scared of all the things after I was youthful,” she mentioned within the interview revealed on Saturday, Aug. 24.

“I truly had a recurring nightmare about Beetlejuice,” Ortega continued, earlier than revealing that the scary goals truly stemmed extra from an individual dressed as Keaton, 72, than the precise character.

“I noticed a very horrible Halloween costume earlier than I actually knew what the film was, and I feel that the mildew and smearing, bleeding inexperienced and black Social gathering Metropolis make-up gave me a scare,” she mentioned. “I simply do not forget that picture, after which I watched the film later, and I assumed, ‘Oh, man, that is what the man was dressed as. That is simply as scary.’ ”

Remembering the contents of the recurring dream, the Scream star mentioned, “I shared a room my whole life rising up. I used to be the underside bunk on a bunk mattress, and I had a dream that Beetlejuice would come down and swing across the banister to my bunk carrying a Superman cape, and he would provide me grape juice and say, “Received any grape?’ ”

When requested whether or not she ever revealed this tidbit to Keaton as they filmed Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ortega admitted that it by no means got here up.

“No, no. Perhaps I ought to have, however perhaps there was one thing in me that was nonetheless probably frightened, you already know?” she informed Garcia-Navarro. “Assembly him, a large out of your childhood, that’s intimidating, and I feel perhaps I reverted again to my previous adolescent methods in entrance of him.”

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Elsewhere throughout The Interview episode, Ortega mentioned a special Beetlejuice Beetlejuice costar — and one other authentic Beetlejuice solid member — Winona Ryder.

After revealing that she has “been actually, actually fortunate to work with unbelievable actresses who positively had a tougher upbringing,” Ortega named Ryder as one such “mentor.”

“Winona Ryder, in fact. She was so heat and welcoming and sort and alluring proper from the soar, and I couldn’t be extra grateful,” she mentioned. “It was at a time the place my profession was taking a special flip, and I didn’t understand that I wanted that from anyone who may relate, however I did.”

As for his or her connection, she mentioned, “The best way Winona and I obtained alongside was fairly bizarre. It was like we had been studying one another’s minds just a little bit.”

Ortega didn’t title any particular recommendation Ryder, 52, gave her — “It’s exhausting to pinpoint as a result of I feel a few of it I wish to preserve between us” —  however she did say that the veteran actress “made me really feel actually, actually stunning and particular.”

“And that was, once more, throughout that point, it meant the world to me,” she added.

When requested what “that point” was, she mentioned, “It was a really transformative interval of my life. We shot Beetlejuice not that lengthy after Wednesday had come out, so someday I simply awoke in anyone else’s sneakers. I felt like I had entered anyone else’s life, and I didn’t know methods to get again to mine.”

“Clearly with the success and the eye that she obtained within the ’90s, Winona had skilled that most likely to an excellent better extent, so she was the primary individual that I related with on that subject,” Ortega continued. “Or she made me really feel seen the place different folks essentially in my life, as a lot as they needed to, couldn’t relate or couldn’t perceive.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters on Sept. 6.