Michael Keatons gut made him sign ‘Beetlejuice’ after thinking it was bad’

Michael Keaton Recalls Almost Passing on Beetlejuice: “I Didn’t Know What It Was”

Michael Keaton nearly turned down the role of a lifetime in Beetlejuice, but fortunately, the actor had a change of heart. In an interview with People magazine, Keaton reflected on his reputation for being selective, even earning the nickname “Dr. No” for turning down numerous roles—not out of arrogance, but because the projects didn’t feel right.

Keaton revealed he almost said no to director Tim Burton as well. “Someone asked if I wanted to meet this guy who made Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Keaton recalled. “I’d seen bits of it, but never watched the whole movie. I said, ‘Sure.’”

However, when Burton pitched Beetlejuice, Keaton was baffled. “I just didn’t understand what he was talking about,” he admitted. “I’d keep asking, ‘But who is he? What is it?’”

Despite feeling uncertain, Keaton agreed to a follow-up meeting, though he was nervous about taking on the role. “I told him, ‘I don’t know what this is, and you might be better off with someone else because I don’t get it.’ Not in a negative way—I just genuinely didn’t know what it was.”

But Keaton’s instincts told him there was something special about Burton. “My gut said, ‘This guy is something,’” Keaton said. “I liked him as a person, and he seemed like my kind of eccentric artist.”

Ultimately, Keaton’s decision to trust his intuition led him to one of his most iconic roles, cementing his place in cinematic history.