Michael Keatonwants to go back to his real name for his future movies. Keaton has been acting under the name Michael Keaton for decades at this point, credited like so in his major projects such asBeetlejuiceandBirdman. His latest project will see the actor reprise his classic character of Beetlejuice in the upcomingTim Burton sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. The sequel also stars Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe, and is set for release this week on September 6.
As perPeople, Keaton explains why he wants to go back to being called by another name in future projects. The actor explained thathis birth name is not Michael Keaton, but Michael Douglas.The stage name came as a result of an industry rule back when he was joining the Screen Actors' Guild. He says that he can barely remember how he chose the name Keaton, noting that he “can’t remember if it was a phone book.” Check out the full quote from Keaton below:
I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a phone book. I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.’
[On the set of Knox Goes Away] I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton Douglas.’ And it totally got away from me. And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that. But that will happen.
Michael Keaton’s Name Change Explained
Oscar Winner Michael Douglas Took The Name First
Keaton’s stage name change came about in the 1970s, when he was trying to begin his career. Entering the Screen Actors' Guild, he was confronted with an issue upon learning thatSAG had a rule that prohibited two registered actors from having the same name.The registry already hadactor Michael Douglasand talk show host Mike Douglas in their records, so theBeetlejuiceactor was forced to pick a new last name. As per the actor’s story, it seems that the specifics of that name choice were somewhat random.
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Michael Keaton has been in some great movies over the years, and his best ten films are among the most impressive and varied of all Hollywood stars.
Even if SAG had not had the rule surrounding unique names at the time Keaton was attempting to register, having a distinct name likely worked out for him.Michael Douglas was already an established actorby the time Keaton was up-and-coming, having been in films such asRomancing the StoneandA Chorus Line. In 1988, Douglas would go on to win Best Actor for his performance inWall Street. The fact that Keaton was given a distinct last name avoided confusion with Douglas, which probably helped Keaton stand on his own.
Now, Keaton is a much more established actor.He has an Oscar nomination of his own (forBirdman), and won an Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the acclaimed TV seriesDopesick. Because of this clout,Keatoncan probably get away with the name change in his future credits, finally staying true to his birth name.
