This Problematic Actor Won’t Appear in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

The first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Beetlejuice sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, hit the internet this week, delivering a satisfying dose of nostalgia for fans of the 1988 cult classic.

The trailer features returning cast members Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara as Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively. Fans also caught a glimpse of the Deetz patriarch, Charles (Jeffrey Jones), in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo of sorts. Jones’s image appears on a bizarre-looking tombstone as a chorus of children sings an acapella rendition of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”.

Charles’s death solves two issues for the sequel: it gives Lydia a reason to return to Winter River, Connecticut with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) in tow. And it also gives the film a narrative reason for not bringing back Jeffrey Jones.

Since this is Beetlejuice, Charles Deetz could always return as a ghost. But his reps told The Hollywood Reporter that Jones wouldn’t appear in the film. Jones worked with director Tim Burton in multiple films, including Sleepy Hollow and Ed Wood. He is also famous for his work in Amadeus and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Why isn’t Jeffrey Jones in the sequel?

Jones’s exclusion from the film is likely due to his 2002 arrest for possession of child pornography and for soliciting explicit photos from an underage boy. Jones pleaded no contest to solicitation and was forced to register as a child sex offender. Jones’s career has stalled since the charges became public and has acted sporadically since then.

Jones’s exclusion from Hollywood seems to be the rare case where predatory behavior has lasting consequences.

(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures)