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Stories

Michael Keaton Returned To ‘Beetlejuice’ Role Like He Was Possessed By Demon, Says Tim Burton

by Dana Daly

Published June 18, 2024

Michael Keaton and Tim Burton reflect on returning to the iconic franchise

36 years passed between the original 1988 Beetlejuice and its anticipated sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But for Michael Keaton, it might as well have been yesterday that he debuted the volatile character because, according to director Tim Burton, he fell back into the role with astonishing ease.

The original Beetlejuice boasts an all-star cast including Keaton, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, and Jeffrey Jones. Following its release, Beetlejuice proved a commercial and critical success. It secured an Academy Award, and three Saturn Awards. But its cultural endurance would prove the greatest reward and just the thing to bring Keaton back into the role in an experience he would call “surreal.”

Related:

  1. ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Director Says Michael Keaton ‘Had No Burning Desire’ To Reprise His Role
  2. Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Unveils Official Title, New Poster

Michael Keaton easily fell back into his Beetlejuice role, according to director Tim Burton

Michael Keaton returned to the role of Beetlejuice like a man possessed by a demon, according to Tim Burton
Michael Keaton returned to the role of Beetlejuice like a man possessed by a demon, according to Tim Burton / © Warner Brothers /courtesy Everett Collection

Almost four decades since playing the titular menace in Beetlejuice, Keaton had no problem getting back into character. “It was like he was possessed by a demon,” Burton marveled in an interview for Empire magazine, “because he just went right back into it.”

RELATED: Michael Keaton Had A Lot Of Initial Concerns About ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel

It’s an opinion shared by those joining the horror movie family for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, including 21-year-old Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, who plays the daughter of the character portrayed by O’Hara in the original film.

“It was like an animal with a gun had just walked into the room,” she recalled of seeing Keaton get into character. “To watch him physically change and appear and Michael Keaton to be gone, and for me to be dealing with this Beetlejuice guy … it blew my mind.”

Keaton reflects on the role and its legacy

The sequel promises some nostalgic returns
The sequel promises some nostalgic returns / © Warner Brothers /courtesy Everett Collection

Things seemed calm and simple on the outside. But on the inside, Keaton was just as shocked to play the character as Burton was to see him transform so seemingly easily. He called the experience of returning “surreal,” but also knew he had to participate in the sequel. This time around, he approached things a little differently.

“There’s been so much merchandising of [Beetlejuice], I had to drop back to where it started,” he explained. “What was my unusual imagination even thinking about when I was developing it in the first place?’ As opposed to seeing a coffee mug or a golf-club cover [adorned with the character].”

Keaton described the process of returning to the character after so many decades as surreal
Keaton described the process of returning to the character after so many decades as surreal / Parisa Taghizadeh / © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

Plans for a Beetlejuice sequel have popped up every now and again since the ‘90s. It wasn’t until the February 2022 announcement that something actually stuck. When Burton returned to the fold, he started everything over so he would only be working with “good people, actors and puppets.” He and Keaton agreed to use as little technology as possible, the better to create something that really felt handmade. Upping the nostalgia will be the return of additional cast members O’Hara and Ryder.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is expected to hit theaters on September 6.

Beetlejuice became a critical, commercial, and cultural phenomenon whose legacy Keaton wants to honor
Beetlejuice became a critical, commercial, and cultural phenomenon whose legacy Keaton wants to uphold / David Acosta/Image Press Agency

RELATED: Michael Keaton Says ‘Beetlejuice 2’ Is ‘Most Fun I’ve Had Working On A Movie’

Next up: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Calls It “Red Flag” To Reject Political Correctness
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