Jenna Ortega reveals full circle horror journey while promoting Beetlejuice sequel on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Jenna Ortega opened up on a talk show on Wednesday about her horror film history and how it came full circle while working on and promoting Beetlejuice Beetlejuice sequel.

The 21-year-old actress was asked by Jimmy, 49, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon about the first horror film she saw that got her hooked on the genre.

“Well, I remember the first movie that scared me. I think the first movie that scared me was ‘Child’s Play,'” Jenna said, referring to the 1988 supernatural slasher film.

“Chucky,” Jimmy said, referring to the murderous doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

“I was four or five years old, I remember accidentally looking. I peeked around the corner because I was really stubborn. And my parents were gone. It was parents’ evening. And my uncle was watching us and they couldn’t find me for 30 minutes because I was rocking back and forth in the corner like I was thinking, ‘He’s going to get me,'” Jenna said.

“I swear to God. I swear to God. I was in my brother’s or sister’s closet,” she added.

Jimmy noted that Jenna was “really traumatized,” but now she’s showing that to people through her roles in slasher films like The Babysitter: Killer Queen, X, and two Scream films.

“You have to face your own fears,” Jenna joked.

Jenna revealed how her childhood angst took a new turn in Tim Burton’s upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

“It’s also really weird because in ‘Beetlejuice’ we only did practical effects. It’s like toys and interactive stuff, which is way better than staring at a tennis ball while you’re acting,” Jenna said.

“Oh yeah. I can see everything happening, but it’s also, it’s puppet-like. So Chucky was a puppet, and now I’m acting with puppets. It’s very strange,” she said.

Jenna shared that she also worked on the second season of the hit Netflix series Wednesday.

She has taken on the role of producer for the second season of the series.

Michael Keaton appears in a scene from the upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The 21-year-old actress was asked by Jimmy, 49, during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon about the first horror film she saw that got her hooked on the genre

“Four or five years old, I remember accidentally looking. I was like peeking around the corner because I was really stubborn. And my parents were gone. It was parents’ evening. And my uncle was watching us and they couldn’t find me for 30 minutes because I was rocking back and forth in the corner like I was like, ‘He’s going to get me,'” Jenna said.

“It’s also really weird because in ‘Beetlejuice’ we only did practical effects, so it’s like toys and interactive stuff, which is way better than staring at a tennis ball when you’re acting,” Jenna said.

“Oh my god. It’s the best. I’ve never done that on a TV show before,” Jenna said.

Jenna says they talked about it in season one and she enjoys being part of the conversations.

“So I get to decide how blue someone gets or where their brains hit the ground,” she said.

Jenna said Wednesday that her role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice came out of her existing relationship with director Tim Burton, 65, and that he “definitely knew before I did.”

“I remember hearing about it. Because the writers of ‘Wednesday’ are the writers of ‘Beetlejuice.’ So I heard about it. And I was so excited about it. I congratulated them. And then I just forgot about it and moved on with my career, I guess.”

She said she met Burton again before Wednesday’s premiere, when he asked for ideas for the second season of the Netflix series.

“When I opened my journal and pitched these ideas, he just put the script of ‘Beetlejuice’ in my journal. And he didn’t tell anyone. He just said, ‘Oh, okay. There’s, you know, no pressure, Jenna. I think there’s a part for you. But again, if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it,'” she said.

“I got in my car. And then, ten minutes later, I pulled over to the side of the PCH, which is a big, you know, freeway in California,” she said. “I was sitting on the rocks in front of the water [for] an hour. And then I called my team and I said, ‘I can’t say what I agree to, but I agree to it,’ she added.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the 1988 film Beetlejuice and will be released in theaters on September 6.