Most people, when given the chance, won’t go back to a job they wrapped up years ago. But since it keeps happening lately, there must be something in the air. Michael Keaton first portrayed the demonic troll Beetlejuice over 35 years ago, but he was unsure if people would want to see him return. He did it anyway.
In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the juice is loose again, this time with the addition of Gen Z star Jenna Ortega as Winona Ryder’s stubborn teen Astrid. It wasn’t an easy decision for Keaton to make, especially after the way his last reprisal went, but the actor told Entertainment Weekly that he was sure of returning for the sequel. “This one may even be better because it’s got actually a stronger story, it kind of is emotional, the cast is stupid good,” he said. “To remake something that you didn’t even know might work the first time is really hard.”
Keaton has starred in some iconic movies throughout his career, including 1989’s Batman, Birdman, and of course, Herbie: Fully Loaded, but he is the most proud of the pesky poltergeist.
“At the end of the day, if somebody said you have to pick one thing you’ve done how I make my living, I’d probably pick Beetlejuice for its all-encompassing thing, for just its art, you know what I mean?” Keaton said of the original film, which is a Halloween staple to this day. “I’ve been in some, you know, pretty good movies, but this [the sequel] is something different.”
There was some worry that it should not be messed with, but once Keaton felt like they had waited long enough, it was time to bring the dead back. He added, “The only thing I worried about was, should we have left it alone? You know? Should we have just said that: ‘Don’t touch it. Just walk away. Go make your other movies,’ which we did. So, for me, it was a big roll of the dice.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stars Keaton, Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, along with newbies Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, and Willem Dafoe, so it will surely be that “all-encompassing thing” that Keaton is hyping up. Just don’t say his name one more time or he’ll never leave.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 6.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)