QUESTION: Why do you think the original film has become such a touchstone in pop culture? It is still incredibly popular, and the character is known the world over.
MICHAEL KEATON: I still don’t understand it. [laughs] I think I’ve said this a thousand times, but it’s true: it is unique. And there’s no such thing as “really unique” or “very unique.” It’s something that’s either unique or not. And Beetlejuice is unique. And it’s just 100% original. I’ve always described it as a piece of art. You could almost grab the movie and, if you could, hang it somewhere. But it’s also kind of timeless and must touch things in people. And I just think people were drawn to this really unusual visual treat. Because a lot of it is the visuals and the visual jokes. It’s really interesting how much people react so positively to pure imagination from Tim. Just pure imagination. No one ever saw anything like that.
QUESTION: There may be a handful of creative partnerships in this business that yield the kind of off-the-charts imaginative results that your work with Tim Burton has—bringing Batman to the big screen in an entirely new way, and giving life to a never-before-seen character in Beetlejuice. What is your dynamic with Tim like, and how has it changed over the years as you’ve worked together?
MICHAEL KEATON: I’m going to start with an overused word, I’m afraid, which is the appropriate word… and that is special. Because it just is. I can’t analyze it; I can’t really break it down for you. I was thinking about this the other day. The interesting thing with Tim and I is, there are parts of us where we’re very unalike, and then there are parts of us where we are very much alike. There’s parts of our personality where I don’t have the same thing or feeling that he does, but I have a type of it. It’s not the same kind. But I relate enough to that, and I relate enough to accepting that there are just people who see the world how they see it… and I think, in fact, the advantage to us is how we’re similar.
Then it just comes down to something quite simple, which is respect. I have such respect for artists, and I try to align myself with that headspace and that vision. It’s about having respect for each other, as artists. I think that if you try to at least head in that direction of art, and then to respect artists—just the privilege of showing up and working with someone who really is truly an artist—I mean, that’s just such a privilege. Also, the respect he showed and the credit he deserves when he chose me as Batman… When people never understood that, and he stood by it and said, “No, I see it in this guy.” We also had a very nice working relationship from Beetlejuice. And some of it just comes down to the simplicity that the vibe is good. The vibe between us is good. It’s that simple.
QUESTION: What aligned that allowed Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice to come together?
MICHAEL KEATON: Tim and I both thought there was no reason to return until we figured out what we thought we should do. We would get on the phone and talk about it, every now and then. But the agreement we had was that if we ever did it, it couldn’t be overwhelmed by technology. I don’t think a lot of people consciously know why they like Beetlejuice, but I keep coming back to the expression “handmade”—because it literally was handmade. But I think, clearly, the story had to be there, and this story is even stronger, if you ask me. Tim really trusted the story. And Jenna, Winona and Catherine drive the story, although Beetlejuice is integral to it. The story is stronger and you’ll love the whole experience… and Beetlejuice is just a fun thing in it.
QUESTION: As you mentioned, you got back together with Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder for this, but you also have amazing new performers in this film. Can you talk a little bit about working with Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux and the new cast members?
MICHAEL KEATON: Well, you couldn’t do it without Winona. I don’t think Tim and I were interested in doing it without Winona, and we sure weren’t interested in doing it without Catherine. And then, Jenna got it from the get-go; it just fit her like a glove. And that’s a credit to her, because it’s not easy to step into something that’s already in motion, jump on and fit right in. And I must say, that first cast was terrific. This cast is at least that good, and we had the opportunity to improve things with certain characters. The introduction of Willem’s character is so fun to watch, and Justin [Theroux] is just hysterical. This cast is as good as the first one, and maybe better.
QUESTION: I think Willem’s Wolf Jackson is a great foil for Beetlejuice, too.
MICHAEL KEATON: I suggested that he and I should partner up and do a buddy movie together, within the world of Tim’s mind.
QUESTION: I’d pay to see that! I have just one question left. I don’t have to tell you that audiences have been literally waiting for 36 years to see Beetlejuice back on the big screen, in this whole new way, so without giving too much away about story or plot, what’s the experience going to be like for them?
MICHAEL KEATON: I think the great thing that Tim pulled off—and hopefully we all pulled off—is you get all the stuff from the first one, and then some. So, for people who are unfamiliar with it—and there aren’t that many—it’s a really fun, fresh look at it, to see it for the first time. And for all the people who are big fans—and there are many, obviously—they get all the great old stuff, the feeling, the same exact vibe, the same exact aesthetic, and then more.
QUESTION: I think this is one of those rare films, where if you never saw the first one and you see this one, you have to go back and see the first one.
MICHAEL KEATON: Probably so.
QUESTION: You’re going to want to know how this began, right?
MICHAEL KEATON: Oh, yeah. And Tim set that up perfectly, but I’m not going to give it away. But you should say, “Wait a minute… How did this start?!”