Who did Jeffrey Jones play in Beetlejuice? Actor's legal controversies explored as sequel trailer confirms his character's death

As Beetlejuice released its sequel’s trailer on May 23, 2024, it confirmed the exit of Jeffrey Jones's character, Charles Deetz, from the iconic film. The first few clips in the trailer show a funeral taking place, with a headstone appearing with Charles’ name engraved.

Furthermore, in the trailer, Astrid, Lydia's teen daughter also stated “I can’t believe Grandpa is dead,” which also adds up to the confirmation of Jeffrey Jones’ bidding adieu to the movie’s part two. The alleged exit of the actor from Beetlejuice comes years after he was arrested in 2002 for the possession of child p*rnography.

Furthermore, as per Unilad, the actor was also convicted of assaulting a minor, however, he pleaded “no contest” to his charges. He was then sentenced to five years’ probation and his name was added to the s*x offender register. However, the makers of the sequel Beetlejuice have not confirmed if this was the reason for Jeffrey Jones’ exit from the movie.

The original Beetlejuice was released in 1988. The American horror comedy film starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, Michael Keaton, and Jeffrey Jones. In the movie, Jones played the character of Charles Deetz, a former real estate developer.

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Jeffrey Jones multiple arrests: Details explored about the Beetlejuice actor as the trailer of the sequel confirms his exit

Jeffrey Jones, born in 1946, is best known for his roles in Amadeus, The Hunt for Red October, The Devil’s Advocate, Deadwood, and many more films. However, his career saw a steep downfall after he was charged with child p*rnography, for which he was also arrested in 2002. As per Entertainment Weekly, he asked a minor boy to pose naked for him, in exchange for money.

While the Beetlejuice star pleaded no guilty to the charge, his name was then added to the list of s*x offenders. Furthermore, Jones later pleaded guilty to felony charges in California, for which, he was given 250 hours of community service, along with an additional 3 years of probation, TMZ reported.

As per Entertainment Weekly, the actor was also arrested twice in 2004, and 2010 after he failed to update his s*x offender status. The publication also stated that Jones’ attorney at the time said—

"This is all about photos. There are no allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor. This will be resolved very quickly so he can get on with his life and get back to work. Jones is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn’t be ruined."

The actor was later released on a bond of $20,000. While neither the makers nor the actor has stated anything about the exit of the character from the show. However, fans of the movie continue to speculate and question if the controversies are the reason why Jones has been fired from the show.

On the other hand, the Beetlejuice sequel is all set to release on September 6, 2024, and will star Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, along with new cast members like Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.