The only movie that gave Diane Keaton everything she wanted: “The best of all possible worlds”
Very few people can claim to have starred in one of the greatest movies ever made. Even fewer can say they were in two. But Los Angeles-born Diane Keaton has been in at least three, in addition to co-starring with some of the other finest actors of her generation.
Having your breakout role be The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola’s incredible mafia epic that spawned a sequel many believe to be in some way superior, and to then appear in that sequel, is quite the start to a career. But to follow it with 1977’s Annie Hall, an entirely different genre and to scoop the Best Actress Oscar in the process is testament to Keaton’s unique talent.
You could probably add her third pairing with Woody Allen, 1979’s Manhattan to that list of the best films of all time too (despite it featuring some of the most annoyingly pretentious people in film history), and Keaton also had three other Oscar-nominated performances, for Reds alongside Jack Nicholson in 1981, for Marvin’s Room in 1996 and again opposite Nicholson in 2003’s comedy Something’s Gotta Give.
And it’s that later film with Nicholson that Keaton feels was the perfect role for her, although a certain star of The Matrix might have had something to do with that. Speaking about playing her character Erica Barry, she told the BBC: “It’s the best of all possible worlds for me. Not only do I get to kiss Keanu Reeves and have a big romance with him, but I also get to have the same experience with Jack! He’s the original bad boy so that’s about as exciting as it gets.”
Keaton has an enviable list of other all-time-great costars on her CV, including Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford; standing on par with any of them, moving effortlessly from drama to comedy and entirely inhabiting any character she plays.
But in terms of a dream costar, Keaton has a definite wishlist, although they were sadly before her time, stating: “Gary Cooper was my idea of masculinity at its best. And Charlie Chaplin, because he was a genius. Irene Dunne, because she was so funny. And Cary Grant because, well, I love a man’s suit.”
Something’s Gotta Give was a major hit at the box office, grossing a quarter of a million dollars and introducing Keaton to a generation that perhaps didn’t know her from her iconic heyday in the 1970s. She scooped a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award and a Critics’ Choice Award for her role as Barry, a wealthy playwright whose daughter is dating Nicholson’s smarmy record company boss with chaotic results.
It marked the second time Keaton and Nicholson had appeared together. The aforementioned Reds was an entirely different affair from the romantic comedy; written and directed by Warren Beatty, it was an epic historical drama about the Russian revolution. A gruelling process that took a full year on location, it saw Keaton and Beatty, who were in a romantic relationship, struggle to mix the work required with their private life.
The film historian Peter Biskind wrote at the time: “Beatty’s relationship with Keaton barely survived the shoot. It is always a dicey proposition when an actress works with a star or director—both, in this case—with whom she has an offscreen relationship. Keaton appeared in more scenes than any other actor save Beatty, and many of them were difficult ones, where she had to assay a wide range of feelings, from romantic passion to anger, and deliver several lengthy, complex, emotional speeches.”
Keaton had no such issues with Nicholson, however, and when she met up with him on Something’s Gotta Give some two decades later, she was effusive in her praise toward the legendary actor, saying: “As far as I’m concerned, it was just thrilling. Jack was great to work with. I had the most fun with Jack for the two weeks we were stuck in bed together, half-naked, and I really got to know a lot about Jack’s love life, which was really interesting! He’s a big Irish guy, you know. He’s a big sentimental slob and he’s a real fool for love. He’s such a sucker. It’s true! He really is.”
Now 79, Keaton’s legacy as one of history’s finest actors is secure, but she has continued to work consistently, landing parts every year since – and with four different projects to film in 2025 alone, she will be discovered by many new fans to come.
