Fans of “Beetlejuice” have raised concerns about a kissing scene between Jenna Ortega and Jeremy Conti in the long-awaited sequel, despite the actors being of similar ages.
Legacy sequels often have mixed receptions. They can either enhance a franchise or be so disappointing that fans pretend they don’t exist to preserve the original’s legacy.
However, Tim Burton’s sequel to his iconic 80s film has been well-received since its release earlier this month.
Fans were thrilled to see Michael Keaton reprise his role as Beetlejuice and Winona Ryder return as Lydia, the protagonist from the first film.
While the movie has garnered plenty of laughs, a kissing scene involving Jenna Ortega has made some viewers uncomfortable.
Ortega plays Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s daughter, who has a love interest named Jeremy, portrayed by rising star Arthur Conti.
Although Jeremy appears to be the same age as Astrid, he is actually a ghost who has been deceased for several decades.
This plot detail has sparked controversy among some fans.
Despite Conti being 19 and Ortega 21 in real life, the age difference between their characters in the story has unsettled some viewers.
Fans calculated that if Jeremy has been dead for over 20 years, he would be in his mid-40s, while Astrid is about 15 or 16.
This dynamic is reminiscent of Edward Cullen, who is over 100 years old, and Bella, who is 17, in the “Twilight” series.
On a post discussing the 600-year age gap between Beetlejuice and Lydia, one fan commented: “I thought it was MORE relevant for them to mention the age gap between Astrid and the ghost boy, who was said to have been dead for 20-ish years!”
Another fan pointed out: “Omg yes I didn’t even consider that! What’s interesting is, if I’m doing my math right, that’d put Jeremy in his mid-30s roughly and Astrid round 15-16… Bout the same age gap between Ryder & Keaton in the first movie (iirc).”
Regardless of the age gap, kissing a ghost is inherently eerie.
In reality, Conti and Ortega are close in age, which Conti noted made him feel more at ease.
He shared with Wonderland Magazine: “She was so much fun to work with.
“Probably 99% of my filming was with her and I think to have someone my age, who was so down-to-earth and easy to talk to, was so valuable to me in feeling less intimidated by the whole thing.
“She’s an incredible talent with an astounding work ethic, and also a supremely lovely person.”