Jenna Ortega And Winona Ryder Is The Age-Gap Relationship We Want To See

We love when two beloved queens of different generations link up — especially when they’re as iconic as Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder. If you didn’t know, Beetlejuice — one of the most legendary movies to ever exist — is getting a sequel more than two decades later. Winona is going to be reprising her famous role as Lydia Deetz and our fave goth-playing-queen Jenna is going to be Lydia’s daughter, Astrid Deetz. And while they play mother-daughter on screen, their appearances together on their press tour are giving more age-gap-besties vibes. And a recent interaction the two had with the paparazzi has our hearts swelling and us basically giving a standing ovation (and we haven’t even seen the film yet).

We all know how incredibly irritating paparazzi can be (and we can thank TMZ culture for that TBH). But when on a press tour, celebs usually end up doing anything for the shot because it’s assumed it comes with the territory. But Jenna is reminding even the red-carpet pro Winona that no one is entitled to 100% of celebs all the time.

While being photographed, a photographer was calling for Winona’s attention constantly repeating, “without sunglasses!” to which you could see Winona contemplate taking them off — although it’s clear she’s hesitating. And in a moment where she probably felt pressured, you can see her even reach for her sunglasses to take them off. But Jenna (the queen that she is) very calmly looks at her and says, “No, you don’t have to,” and they continue taking pictures — with Winona dawning the sunglasses.

Now this may not seem monumental on the surface, but it’s a pretty big deal. Winona’s been acting in movies since she was about 13 years old — she’s now 52. She probably eats, breathes, and lives red carpets. So it might feel like second nature to just do whatever photographers tell you, even if you really don’t want to. And Jenna, kinda representing the younger generations’ attitudes of “I’m not doing something I don’t want to do — and I don’t care what you think,” is such a refreshing and supportive friend in this moment. It almost brings a tear to my eye.

The timing is also interesting, considering how much conversation is being had lately about celebs and their privacy. I mean, did you see Chappell Roan’s two-part TikTok about setting boundaries with fans? Although it received some backlash, it is sparking a lot of good debates about what we should expect of celebrities just because they’re rich and famous. And thanks to Chappell, Jenna, and other younger celebrities and fans, we’re being given a few refresher courses on boundaries.