‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Monica Bellucci Reveals Her Soul-Sucking Character

The Big Picture

• Collider’s Perri Nemiroff chats with
  Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
  ‘s Monica Bellucci.
• Bellucci teases the “strong and very dangerous” character she plays in the movie, a key role Tim Burton believed was perfect for her.
• She also shares the process of getting into character, the importance of body language, her character’s relation to Beetlejuice, and what it was like seeing her powers onscreen.

For all the nostalgia Tim Burton‘s long-awaited sequel brings — the OG trio, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, returning to his unmistakable world — Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also introduces audiences to new creatures, the living and the dead. In addition to Wednesday‘s Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe, we also meet Delores, played by Monica Bellucci in a “key role” Burton knew would be perfect for the actress.

According to Bellucci, Delores isn’t one to be reckoned with, but, of course, that isn’t going to stop Beetlejuice (Keaton). She’s “Beetlejuice’s bride,” and you know what they say about a woman scorned. As the Deetz family returns to their old house following a tragedy and deals with an open portal to the Afterlife, Beetlejuice is haunted by this “soul-sucking demon” from his past.

Before the sequel hits theaters, check out Bellucci’s interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff, where they dig into who Delores is, her powers, and why she’s hellbent on vengeance. Bellucci also shares why she was thrilled to join Burton’s whimsical world, the importance of body language in the film, and filming her “horror dancing scene.” You can watch the full conversation in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.

Who Is Delores in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’?

“She’s Beetlejuice’s bride … That ended very badly.”

PERRI NEMIROFF: When you first signed on to make the movie, what about it were you most looking forward to? But then I also want to know something you experienced on set that wound up being more creatively fulfilling than you ever could have imagined at the start?

MONICA BELLUCCI: All I can say is that, of course, I was very happy to be part of this incredible family. When Tim told me, “There is a key role in this movie for which I thought about you,” I was very happy. I was happy to accept it and happy to play this monster — more than a monster, a creature. Delores. She’s a soul-sucking demon in the Afterlife, and while Beetlejuice haunts everybody, she haunts him. She’s Beetlejuice’s bride, and they had a short and intense love story that ended very badly — in death, actually.

I have to say, that really helped to create this character because I had three hours of makeup every day. There were amazing people and amazing makeup artists. And to get on these amazing sets, to wear those beautiful costumes of Colleen Atwood. Also, Tim loves to draw, so there are always drawings of characters and situations. He likes practical effects more than CGI, so you have real monsters to react to, and this is so helpful for an actor instead of a green screen.

Monica Bellucci’s Character Is “Strong and Very Dangerous”

She also gets a wicked introduction scene.

You get an especially good sequence to introduce your character, and I was wondering if you could walk me through what is required of you when filming the scene where Delores is pieced back together.

BELLUCCI: Delores wakes up by coincidence in the Afterlife. Full of rage and desperation and obsessed with vengeance, she puts herself together in this scene that is almost like a horror dancing scene. I had to learn an entire choreography, and it took two or three days to film it. This role is very much about body language, so I felt a bit like a mime, like a broken doll, but it was so much fun. In some way, Delores is a metaphor for life because we all have emotional scars, and she has the real scars. But she’s strong, and she’s coming back, and she’s very dangerous.

Everything looks good, but that particular sequence has a poetic beauty to it. I loved it.

You just brought up the body language aspect. Can you walk me through how you pinpointed how she needed to walk and carry herself? Was there any workshopping there?

BELLUCCI: I just prepared myself as if it was a dancing scene, and to move almost, as I said, like a broken doll. It was interesting because, for actors, it’s a lot about body because it’s through our body we express ourselves.

What was your very first reaction to seeing what Delores’s soul-sucking power would look like?

BELLUCCI: [Laughs] Even me, I have to say that I was so surprised when I saw the movie because you play, you do things, but then you don’t know what is gonna be the result in the end. So when I saw the movie and I saw the editing, I was like, “My god!” It was so funny.

See Delores’ powers for yourself when Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters in the US on September 6. Check the link below for showtimes:

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