Why Michael Keaton Changed His Name After 50 Years

Entertainment news and gossip from Newsweek’s network of contributors

The artist formerly known as Michael Keaton is reinventing himself, starting with his name.

In an interview with PeopleThe 72-year-old actor revealed that for future projects he will act under his new stage name, Michael Keaton Douglas.

Keaton was born Michael Douglas, but when he began his career more than five decades ago, he was unable to register with the Screen Actors Guild under his real name because another actor named Michael Douglas was already a member of the union: talk show host Mike Douglas.

Keaton explained that he came up with the stage name after reading a periodical. “I was looking through… I don’t remember if it was a phone book,” Keaton said. “I must have thought, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.'”

The new stage name is a combination of Keaton’s former stage name and his legal name. Keaton had intended to use his new moniker in his 2023 film. Knox is leavingbut was unable to complete the necessary documentation in time.

“I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit will go to Michael Keaton Douglas.’ And it completely got out of hand,” Keaton said. “And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create it. But that will happen.”

Keaton is still credited as Michael Keaton in his upcoming film. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Elsewhere in the interview, Keaton revealed that he was initially unsure about playing the title character in the original 1988 Beetlejuice film. But a meeting with director Tim Burton changed everything. “My gut was like, ‘This guy is something special. He’s definitely something special,'” Keaton said. “Plus, I liked him. I liked him as a person. I got along with him, and he seemed like the eccentric artist I was looking for.”

Of course, Keaton was right, as the original Beetlejuice grossed over $73 million on a $13 million budget and launched the careers of Burton and Winona Ryder. It won an Oscar for Best Makeup and became a cult classic.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters Friday, September 6.