Hollywood star Michael Keaton, who is set to reprise his titular role in the upcoming movie ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’, has shared secrets about how he brought his character alive in the film.
The actor recently appeared on the American talk show ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and spoke about the first part of the dark fantasy horror comedy film franchise, which was directed by Tim Burton.
He told the show host Jimmy Fallon: “Nobody (in the production) was paying attention, the studio wasn’t really paying attention. We were shooting in this little studio down in Culver City, California. Nobody was really looking over our shoulders. I met Tim Burton (the director) a couple of times. Someone told me, ‘you have to meet this young guy called Tim Burton. He has an idea for a movie’, and I said, ‘Okay’.”
He further mentioned: “When I met him, I had no idea what he was talking about. I had three meetings with him, and I said, ‘Man, I like this guy, I know there’s something (great in the making)’. When he pitched the movie to me, I asked him a thousand questions. I went home, and he said a couple of things to me that were stuck in my head.”
The actor shared that he asked for time overnight to think through the project.
He then said: “I went home, and was leasing this house. There were four pieces of furniture in the house, and I said, ‘Give me a wardrobe from every period of time. I then just created this thing for the teeth and the nose. I knew I wanted a walk (for the character).”
He said that he wanted a really puffed hair for the character and didn’t care much about the hair colour.
‘Beetlejuice’ was a critical and commercial success, as it grossed $74.7 million on a $15 million budget. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and led to animated television series, video games and a 2018 stage musical.
Its sequel, ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is scheduled for theatrical release on September 6, 2024.