“Beetlejuice” is one of Tim Burton’s iconic films. Released in 1988, it featured Michael Keaton. The latter also himself created the iconic costume of his character as he recently revealed.
Beetlejuice : Cult movie
Just before diving into the making of his two films Batman, filmmaker Tim Burton has signed another cult film: Beetlejuice. Carried by Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, the feature film tells how a couple sees their home invaded by a whole bunch of noisy and intrusive demons. In reality, they are dead, and the newcomers are simply the new owners of their homes. It is then that they call on a character with unusual methods to scare the living away: Beetlejuice. Awarded at the Oscars by the Best Makeup Awards, the feature film grossed more than $ 74 million in box office revenue.
Michael Keaton improvises as a costume designer
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Keaton returned to his participation in the film by Tim Burton. Initially, he revealed that he had refused the filmmaker’s proposal on two occasions. In particular because he did not understand anything about the vision of the director:
I had no idea what he was talking about, but I liked him. I said, “I wish I could do it. You seem like a really nice guy and I know you are creative, but I don’t understand…”. When you see the movie, you imagine why it was difficult for him to explain.
During their third meeting, Michael Keaton came to grasp the vision of Tim Burton and ultimately accepted the role. However, he then asked the director to give him some time to fully understand his character. After the meeting, Michael Keaton asked the costume department of the project for help:
I said, “Give me two days and one night” and called the studio wardrobe and said, “Send me a bunch of wardrobes from different time periods, at random” .
A big surprise for Tim Burton
The funniest thing in this story, is that Tim Burton had not seen the Michael Keaton costume beforehand. The director did not oversee the creation of the Beetlejuice costume, but was impressed with the end result:
He didn’t see it. We discussed it. I said “I want hair like I stuck my finger into an electrical outlet.” And to the big Ve Neill (the costume designer), I said, “I want mold because Tim said he lives under the rocks.” So I showed up to work and got on stage, not knowing what Tim was going to say. But he immediately appreciated the result.
Ultimately, Beetlejuice was a critical and popular success. And the look of the character is now totally unforgettable. Well done Michael Keaton!
The latter will also soon be back in two other key roles. That of the Vulture for Morbius and especially that of Batman for the future film The Flash. Two roles eagerly awaited by fans of superhero films.
