“I can’t take this any more”: why Michael Keaton turned his back on Hollywood
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 2014 film Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) centres on a former Hollywood superstar who, after years in the wilderness, attempts to make a comeback by starring in a Broadway play. The part of Riggan Thomson is played by Michael Keaton, whose own career followed a similar trajectory.
After reaching the heights of stardom through Tim Burton’s two ‘Batman’ movies, Keaton’s career stalled. Ironically, it was the success of Birdman that rejuvenated his status, especially after he was nominated for an Oscar for the lead role. So, what was the turning point in this promising star’s career? When did the curve peak and begin to decline? The answer can be found in the very franchise that made Keaton a household name.
Following the success of Batman and Batman Returns, a third film starring Keaton as ‘The Caped Crusader’ was seemingly in the works. However, when Burton was dropped as the project’s director, the star walked away too. “[The film] just wasn’t any good, man,” he told The Guardian when describing the potential Batman 3. “There was some really horrible taste in the ’90s, and I probably contributed to that, unfortunately. It was a time of nouveau riche excess – everyone was known for their jets and their stuff. And I thought, I’m in this job for the long run, I don’t want this.”
With the power of hindsight, he made exactly the right decision. Batman Forever, which introduced Val Kilmer as the new Bruce Wayne, marked a significant drop in quality for the series. Then came Batman & Robin, AKA the one with George Clooney and his Bat-Nips. Enough has been said about that car-wreck already, so let’s just say it probably made Keaton very happy.
Many commentators saw Keaton’s subsequent project choices, which included Multiplicity, Jackie Brown, and Inventing the Abbotts, as a deliberate attempt to distance himself from the world of superheroes. According to the man himself, “It was both… I do what interests me.” When asked if he didn’t ever just do things for the money (he reportedly turned down a $15 million paycheque to stay on as Batman), he replied “it’s not like I don’t think about the business – I am cognisant of that side of things – but if you overthink the money part, you tend to mess it up.”
It wasn’t just a bad Batman script that led Keaton to step away from the limelight. “I really like life,” he said. “Doing things and having a normal life.” He also mentioned getting sick of the sound of his own voice and “seeing the same old tricks” from those behind the scenes. “So I may have lost interest, combined with a whole lot of people not knocking on my door. It wasn’t just me. But I also consciously started to slowly change things internally, and it worked.”
Since returning to Hollywood’s good books, Keaton has continued to take on a variety of roles in movies big and small. He joined the MCU as the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming and reprised his role as ‘The Ghost with the Most’ in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, alongside his performances as Ray Kroc in The Founder and Dr Samuel Finnix in the TV show Dopesick. He even hopped back into the Bat Suit for 2023’s The Flash, and it was easily the best part of the movie. Although, that’s not saying much.
