Yahoo Lifestyle Michael Keaton Shares What Finally Convinced Him to Reprise His 'Beetlejuice' Role
Over the course of Michael Keaton's career, he's made a name for himself for the iconic characters he portrayed in well-loved movies. Once such role that fans know him for is playing the trickster and mischievous ghost Beetlejuice, which he originated in the 1988 cult film of the same name.
Given Beetlejuice's initial success when it first came out (which included winning an Academy Award for Best Makeup), it's no surprise that a sequel would be in the works. With Beetlejuice Beetlejuice releasing in theaters on September 6, folks will be delighted to hear Michael will be stepping back into the famous pinstriped suit once again. But how exactly did director Tim Burton get him to come back for the movie sequel?
Well, Michael shared what convinced him to revisit the role while appearing on Late Night With Seth Meyers on August 21. As he shared with host Seth Meyers, he was nervous to go back to playing Beetlejuice, but it was Tim who convinced him to come back for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But in order for Michael to agree to reprising the character, there was one condition.
"You know over the years, [Tim] and I would go, 'Do you think we ought to do that?'" he stated. "There was a big, big, big long period of time where I thought, 'Don't touch it. Just leave it alone.' And our agreement, our handshake deal, was if I have any more screen time, it shouldn't be more than like 30 seconds or a minute. We're pretty close to that, I think."
As folks may know, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice picks up 36 years after the events of the first film. The movie follows the Deetz family as they return to Winter River after a family tragedy, with a grown-up Lydia (Winona Ryder) bringing her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) with her. As Astrid discovers the model of the town in the attic, the portal to the Afterlife once again gets accidentally opened... with the release of none other than Beetlejuice himself.
While Michael isn't the only original actor coming back for the sequel (Winona and Catherine O'Hara make appearances too), he certainly enjoyed playing Beetlejuice again. What's more, he loved how authentic to the original movie the sequel tries to get, with some unique moments that got him back into character while filming.
"You know, [Beetlejuice Beetlejuice] needs to have that handmade feel," he added. "I mean, you be in the scene, and out of the corner of your eye, you'd see someone with a fishing line pulling something. And a cat's moving and stuff... it's just so much fun."
We can't wait to see Michael back in action very soon!
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