Summary
- Keaton is excited about reprising Betelgeuse after 35 years, proud of results despite challenges.
- To embody Betelgeuse, Keaton had to ignore the character’s widespread pop culture popularity.
- Co-stars like Jenna Ortega and Catherine O’Hara were amazed by Keaton’s transformation into Betelgeuse.
The release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a little over three months away, and star Michael Keaton says that while his transformation into everyone’s favorite bio-exorcist “wasn’t easy to pull off” this time around, he’s more than pleased with the results. Keaton first donned the striped suit in 1988, portraying Betelgeuse in Tim Burton’s zany horror comedy film that has gone on to become a bona fide classic. Keaton will be joined in the sequel by returning cast members Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder, who welcome newcomer Jenna Ortgea to the mix.
Keaton recently spoke with Empire regarding his return to the iconic role, calling the entire experience of finding himself back in character “surreal.” While he may have been a little apprehensive at first about reprising Betelgeuse after 35 years, the 72-year-old Golden Globe winner is proud of the final product.
“I love it.
I absolutely love this thing
. And I don’t [usually] talk like that. I
unabashedly
love this.
It was not easy to pull off
, and I think we did it in spades.”
To prepare to return to the role of Betelgeuse, Keaton says he had to look past the pop culture phenomenon the character has become over the years. He commented that in order to really tap into that side of himself once more, he had to go back to where it all started.
“There’s been so much merchandising of it,
I had to drop back to where it started
. I had to go, ‘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 Betelgeuse’s face].”
He admitted that seeing how popular the character has become over the years in terms of merchandising has been “f*cking weird.” These days, fans can purchase everything from t-shirts and pillows, to shrunken heads and Halloween costumes. It’s those items that Keaton had to overlook in order to transform into his original vision of who Betelgeuse really is.
“To be honest with you – I’m being very frank – it was off-putting, to look and go, ‘I don’t want to look like all these little
things
, f*ck
that
– what was the thing that started this?’”
Michael Keaton’s Co-stars Were Shocked by His Transformation
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to release on September 6, 2024, and picks up 40 years after the events in the original film. The Deetz family return to the town of Winter River following an unexpected loss, which leads to Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) dealing with the consequences of her rebellious teenage daughter (Jenna Ortega) stumbling upon the iconic model set she first used to summon Betelgeuse when she was young. The results promise to be a wild ride back into the crazy world Tim Burton created in the late 1980s, while at the same time delivering something fresh for audiences to fawn over.
For Ortega, whom Keaton has had nothing but good things to say about, she says that seeing him transform into Betelgeuse is something that caught her off guard. She wasn’t prepared for just how in-character the actor would be, and says the entire experience blew her mind.
“It
was like an animal with a gun
had just walked into the room. To watch him physically change and appear and Michael Keaton to be gone, and for me to be dealing with this Betelgeuse guy…
it blew my mind
.”
Michael Keaton Has Seen Beetlejuice 2: ‘I Wasn’t Ready for That’
Michael Keaton says that he had so much fun making the movie, and shared his reaction to seeing a cut of the film.
Fellow co-star Catherine O’Hara, who reprises her role of Delia Deetz in the film, echoed Ortega’s sentiments, saying, “It was insane. Insane.” Director Tim Burton added his own comments regarding Keaton’s ability to channel the character: “It was like he was possessed by a demon, because he just went right back into it.”
Audiences can see Keaton’s transformation into the iconic role of Betelgeuse for themselves when
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
hits theaters on September 6, 2024. Check out the trailer below.
