Michael Keaton finally wants to ditch his stage name and start using his real name, Michael Douglas.
After decades in the business, the 73-year-old Bettlejuice star (born Michael John Douglas) found a way to incorporate his birth name into his stage name.
The acting legend was not allowed to use his birth name because the Screen Actors Guild prohibits its members from using another star’s professional name.
And unfortunately for Keaton, Oscar winner Michael Douglas, 79, was already there first.
Keaton now wants to be credited as Michael Keaton Douglas in his future films.
Michael Keaton, 73, finally wants to ditch his stage name and start using his real name, Michael Douglas
After decades in the business, the Bettlejuice star, who was born Michael John Douglas, found a way to incorporate his birth name into his stage name.
However, his name in the credits for the Beetlejuice sequel will remain as Michael Keaton because he didn’t get it sorted in time, he revealed.
He told PEOPLE magazine: ‘I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to Michael Keaton Douglas.
“And it got completely out of hand. I forgot to give them enough time to implement it and believe it. But that will happen.”
Recalling why he chose the surname ‘Keaton’, he added: ‘I was looking at… I don’t remember if it was a phone book.
I should have thought, “I don’t know, let me think of something.” And then I said, “Ah, that sounds reasonable.”
Last month, Keaton admitted he was “nervous” about reprising his iconic role as Beetlejuice for Tim Burton’s long-awaited sequel because he didn’t want to “let everyone down.”
Fans got their first taste of the quirky Bio-Exorcist more than three decades ago when Keaton portrayed the unforgettable character in the 1988 cult film alongside the likes of Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set for release on September 6, and director Tim, 65, has added Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe to the cast, along with his real-life girlfriend Monica Bellucci.
The acting legend was not allowed to use his birth name because the Screen Actors Guild prohibits members from using another star’s professional name.
And unfortunately for Keaton, Oscar winner Michael Douglas (pictured), 79, was already there first.
Keaton now wants to be credited as Michael Keaton Douglas in his future films.
Keaton portrayed in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
During an interview with Al Roker, Keaton said of the second film: “I was nervous before we started, we all were a little bit, because I didn’t want to screw it up. ‘Can I do this and not let everyone down?’, frankly.”
Referring to the first time he saw himself in the Beetlejuice makeup again, he said: “When I saw that I was like, ‘Yeah, there we are,’ and the story is a really, really strong story and everyone is so good at it, that the pressure was taken off of me a little bit.”
Asked if it felt like 36 years, Keaton joked, “It feels like 136 years.”
When Al, 70, commented that O’Hara’s character Delia Deetz has “softened” and is “more likable,” the Home Alone star responded: “You have to be. Come on, how much energy can you spend arguing with someone? Keaton added: ‘It’s just exhausting.’
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