Michael Keaton is giving himself an honest review.
The Oscar nominee, 72, reflected on his long-standing relationship with director Tim Burton in a joint interview with The New York Times published on Tuesday, August 27. Keaton has starred in various Burton productions including Beetlejuice, Batman, and one movie that he thinks he could have been better in — Dumbo.
Keaton played the ruthless entrepreneur V.A. Vandervere in Burton’s 2019 live-action remake for Disney, starring opposite Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito and Eva Green.
“I love working with Tim so much, but I don’t think we ever really analyzed why we work pretty well together — we just do,” Keaton told the Times. “I think I let him down on one movie, but that’s just me, and it bugs me to this day. I was clueless on Dumbo. I sucked in Dumbo.”
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Burton, 66, told his frequent collaborator, “I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but whatever.”
Keaton and Burton’s latest movie together is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel to Burton’s 1988 cult fantasy comedy. Speaking to the Times, Keaton recalled that he was unsure whether the original Beetlejuice would be a hit.
“There was a screening and it didn’t particularly go well. I remember feeling so badly because I thought, ‘Oh, man, that was such a fun experience, just absolutely unique and a truly authentic collaboration,’” he explained. “Then Tim called and said, ‘Hey, I want to do a real quick reshoot,’ and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Geez, I thought this was done, we were dead in the water!’”
“We did it and someone sent me a potential trailer and I thought, ‘Holy moly, if it gets even close to this, this is really good,’” added Keaton.
Following the success of Beetlejuice, Keaton admitted he was apprehensive about reprising his iconic role as eccentric exorcist Betelgeuse.
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“I was nervous about doing this again, even up to the point where we all showed up,” he said. “It’s a really, really, really hard thing to recreate, but it was the same and better. The quality of each thing seemed to be just a little richer.”
The sequel reunites Keaton with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, while Jenna Ortega joins the cast as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Ryder’s character, Lydia.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on Friday, September 6.
