Jack Nicholson counseled Michael Keaton on making flops during Batman
Keaton's advice to young actors is a little different from Nicholson's
Aux News Michael Keaton
Much about the movie biz has changed, but one thing that remains true–no young actor would turn up their nose at some advice from a legend like Jack Nicholson. In lieu of that (at least, at this particular Drama Actor Emmy Roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter), Michael Keaton is here to pass on his wisdom, though it may not apply to the current cinema landscape.
Discussing the kinds of projects an actor is offered after they hit it big, Keaton recalled: “In the old days, I remember I was in London with Jack Nicholson, we were doing Batman, and he was going somewhere, and he said, ‘Come along with me,’ which is an experience in and of itself.”
“So, we’re in the car and he’s talking about the movie. And we all knew it was a huge risk, and if it goes down, [I’d be] going down in flames and that’s going to be a big, hard recovery. But I also knew if it worked, it could change my landscape,” he continued. “So Jack says, ‘Keats, if this thing’s a hit, you can go out and do four or five flops and not even worry about it.’”
But the times, they have a-changed: “[Maybe] it wasn’t four or five, but it used to be you got away with three and it didn’t matter. Not now, man. You’ve got one miss, which is fucked up.”
As someone who has now reached legendary status himself, Keaton is now qualified to give his own advice. And rather than bother with a risky flop, his advice is more tried and true: spend time with the people who matter. “One of the reasons I laid low was that I always wanted to be a dad. And then I got the opportunity to be a dad, so I thought, ‘Man, if I lose money, I’m good with it,’” he said.
He added, “I was having this conversation with Bill Hader the other day, he was going through something and I said, ‘Dude, trust me. Hang out with your kids as much as you can for as long as you can. You will never regret it. You’re going to lose some jobs. It’s OK. In the long run, that’s the thing [that matters].’” You heard it here first: rather than risk a flop, just go home to your kids. Your reputation at the box office will thank you!
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I trust Mr. Mom on this.
But I wouldn’t take his advice on home wiring.
Three flops, four… whatever it takes.
Meanwhile, Nic Cage…
That actually has a rational explanation believe it or not. Nic wasn’t making trash because he didn’t know it was trash or because he was just insanely greedy — he owed tons of money to the IRS when his tax-cheating schemes failed and was taking any offer that paid well just to clear his debts. In an interview about “Pig” he mentioned that finally he is squared with the IRS and will make more movies like “Pig” — which may be offbeat, but not trash, in the future.
Jokes, man. Jokes.
Was he in trouble with the IRS for trying to cheat on his taxes or just for not paying them? I thought it was the latter but haven’t looked this up recently.
I guess “not pay” is the simplest way of cheating, but the one most likely to get detected.
Just looking it up, shortest version is that he blew through around $150 million without paying the requisite taxes on the earnings, and wound up with about $11-13 million in liens and fines etc. (sources seem to vary on totals)
He also, by all accounts, is a very present and involved father, so it sounds like he would wholeheartedly agree with Keaton.
Kinda more about the whole “you can make 3 flops” joke…
Apparently he turned down a role in The Matrix because he didn’t want to be away from his kids for three years.
Heartwarming reason, but I’m convinced there’s another alternate universe where Nic Cage played Agent Smith and damn, we missed out.
I would love to visit the universe where Will Smith is Neo and Cage is Agent Smith.
Cage is part of the Coppola family, he can make as many flops as he wants and still bounce back.
…as Batman?
Maybe as Crazy Steve Batman? I’d watch that.
I took Michael Keaton’s advice about running a prostitution scheme out of a morgue and it led to a long prison sentence. Never again
I took his advice on how to banish the living out of my haunted house and nearly got eaten by a sand worm. Never again!
Sandworms! You hate ‘em, right? (laughs) I hate ‘em myself!
Sandworms…can’t live with ‘em…pass the beer nuts!
I followed his advice on how to get my lazy coworker to support the team, but we accidentally killed the guy. Then he denied he ever gave me the advice! Such a jerk.
I took his advice on how to screw over the McDonald brothers and now I have to close thousands of restaurants in Russia. Damn you Keats!
I took his advice on cloning. I’ve had to kill so many deformed clones of myself.
220. 221. However many it takes.
I took the same advice and my wife left me for one of the clones.
I hit it big with his suggestion to grow tuna with the mayonnaise already inside them.
Starkist never replied to me.
You’re a Love Broker?
Huh,
I did the same thing and met Fonzie.
But did you feed Mayo to the live tuna fish?
I took his advice on tenants’ rights, and I’m all good, apart from the copper pipe in my torso.
I took his advice on getting racist cops to admit they’re full of crap and turned it into the cover of tomorrow’s paper.
I took his advice on whatever the hell Jack Frost was about.
The secret is to make sure Shelly Long is in your stable. She’ll keep the money rolling in.
I took his advice on how to be a feared serial killer and escape from custody, then drive away listening to “Proud Mary” and I’m having a grand old time.
220…221…turns out there’s a big difference. Never again!
Damnit, I was going to say that!
I took Michael Keaton’s advice once. Once.
Winner.
I took Keaton’s advice on raising kids and now I keep going the wrong way in the car pool line, ironing grilled cheese sandwiches, and I think my wife’s boss wants to bang her.
I took his advice, then I took his advice, then I took his advice, then I took his advice. Did you guys know there are four Michael Keatons?
I took his advise to bet big with coupons in the neighborhood poker game.
I took his advice on maintaining a water boiler. Nothing to do with any of his films, but it was surprisingly helpful.
“Pros”, I think we’re all professionals here.“Tit”. I think we all know what that refers to.And “u – tion” as in “you shun, you push away, no thank you”. Doesn’t even belong in the word, really!
I just love it that Jack called him “Keats”. It’s obviously not his real nickname – after all, his real surname is Douglas – but if Jack Nicholson wants to call you “Keats”, then “Keats” it is.
Although it could be a subtle insult — as in “you should have died at 25 from consumption like your namesake!”
The Joker: Tell me something, my friend. Where’s the cheek that doth not fade, too much gaz’d at? Where’s the maid whose lip mature is ever new? Where’s the eye, however blue, doth not weary? Where’s the face one would meet in every place? Where’s the voice, however soft, one would hear so very oft?Bruce Wayne: …what?The Joker: I always ask that of all my prey. I just… like the sound of it.
It also must take you a long time to kill anyone.
“… Okay, Jack, that’s just mean. And also impenetrable to anyone who isn’t an English major.”
I bet Nicholson gives dumb nicknames to everyone he interacts with; and I bet no one challenges him on it.
I was hoping his advice would be “Don’t go chasing waterfalls”.
“I warned him!”
“As someone who has now reached legendary status himself”I hear people talk about like this is true but I don’t get it at all.To me, Michael Keaton is a guy who I know from two Batman movies in the 90s, and then The Founder 25 years later.Maybe it’s an American thing.
How old are you? Not judging just wondering if its an age thingMy first though of Keaton is Mister Mom. Which was a big hit and one of those “always on HBO” movies when I was a kid in the 80s.He is also freaking BeetljuiceHe was huge in the 80s, kinda lost his way a bit in the 90s and early 00 but then started coming back. He is more then just that Batman guy in my head
Born in 91. All the 90s Batman movies were out by the time I started watching them and never particularly cared for any of them, Keaton’s included.Now that you mentioned it, yeah, I did watch Beetlejuice on TV as a kid, which I found fine but mostly forgot about, hence why I didn’t mention it in my earlier post.Still, legendary status sounds way overblown for a guy that was popular in the 80s and then mostly disappeared for 25 years.
He’s really funny and seems like a good guy. He’s great in the Other Guys.Captain Gene Mauch : One more thing. We got a serial rapist in Crown Heights. I… oh, jeez, I’m sorry. That’s from my other job. Ignore that. Forget that. Well, don’t ignore it. If you live in Crown Heights, uh, you know, walk in pairs.
“I’m ignorant so fuck that guy” is one hell of an argument.
KIDS TODAY*shakes head*
Well, he was very popular in the 80s, and while his career wasn’t quite as successful in the 90s and 00s (which, obviously, was when you were growing up), he has given several outstanding performances in the 10s and 20s, generally elevating any film he’s in. To me, he’s been in two all-time iconic roles that will be remembered long after he’s gone, with Batman and Beetlejuice. He stamped his legend card before you were born, and to this day, he’s the best part of basically any movie he’s in.And, to compare him to Jack Nicholson – when’s the last time he did anything of note? You could easily describe him, like Keaton, as someone who was “popular” a long time ago, and then mostly disappeared for 25 years. Both actors have given outstanding, iconic performances as both young and older actors in their careers, and have earned legend status. I’m not saying Keaton’s at Jack’s level, necessarily, but that’s pretty rarified air in Hollywood.
He made movies in the 90’s and the aughts. Sorry you can’t check IMDB to avoid sounding stupid.
Yeah, I remember him being Batman was considered a weird choice at the time. Not only was he known for Mr Mom, but also Night Shift, Gung Ho (boy, I bet that one aged badly) Beetlejuice, Johnny Dangerously, and I guess the reason he got a crack at Batman was when he did a dramatic turn in Clean and Sober.
Gung Ho (boy, I bet that one aged badly)
Yeah, to think that we worried about the Japanese taking over the world. But that was 1980s culture in general. Cyberpunk, etc. Meanwhile, we just kind of assumed that China, despite being far bigger and historically far more important, would never recover from Mao’s fucking it up and so wasn’t worth even bothering with.
Oddly, wasn’t this kind of thing popular for a minute in the 80’s?
Yeah, it kind of had two sides to it. There was a general fascination with Japan which both took the form of “Japan is cool” (which still exists today with the popularity of anime and J-Pop in the West) and “OMG Japan is rising and we’re sinking. They’ll be our overlords soon” which is pretty much dead but a similar feeling is certainly there in regard to China.
I was a kid in the 80’s and I like to wear Soviet gear. Though, I’ve laid off it since Russia are being such dicks. The red star is a pretty cool design to rock out in.
At least in the American Midwest where I was a teenager in the 1980s, liking Soviet stuff would probably have you gotten beat up by people thinking you were anti-American. And with my mom having lived in Communist Bulgaria, I don’t think she would have been cool with it for personal reasons. But in the 1990s I remember it was huge both because people could wear it ironically because of the downfall of the USSR and the “end of history” and because so much of it was available and cheap because the Russians and Eastern European countries didn’t want it. But yeah, these days wearing it might make people assume you are a fan of Putin rather than a Communist.
Yes, exactly. I started with it in the 90’s because it was available, cheap and (to me) looked cool.
Although it started a tradition even since. None of the later Batmen were obvious choices — Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson. Sure, they were all relatively well known actors, but they didn’t really say “action” or “superhero” but were comedic or dramatic actors.
Bale was on the Batman list for years before he was cast.
But why? Before the Nolan films, he was best known as the kid from Empire of the Sun and as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. It seems completely random to cast him as a guy who dresses up in tights and punches clowns. Although Bateman was kind of an asshole to disturbed homeless people, so maybe that tracks.
I remember seeing people rave about his performance in Equilibrium. So I watched Equilibrium and I was like, “I guess?”
I vividly remember my dad and I seeing a trailer for Reign of Fire of all things and my dad saying “Oh, Christian Bale, the guy they want to be Batman.”I think the thing to remember is that he was the right age, white, and had dark hair. That was enough to be on speculation lists. But that American Psycho role absolutely put him on the radar as a talented lead. The other thing to remember: that wasn’t exactly seen as a huge role. If anything the way the Clooney one in particular flopped made it maybe a bit of a creative/career risk, as opposed to the “billions grossed/critical raves” the Nolan series ended up being.
Hmm, I guess it depends upon what Batman you’re going for? If you’re going for a Grant Morrison sort of Batman, Val Kilmer is kinda a weird dude so that made a little sense to me, but Joel Schumacher was trying to make an Adam West Batman (kinda), so Clooney wasn’t a bad choice to replace him. Bale I thought was a perfect choice from the jump for a Denny O’Neil/Neil Adams Batman. Ben Affleck makes sense for a Frank Miller Batman and I never saw any of those Twilight movies (not hating on them, I just know they aren’t for me), but I saw Pattinson for the first time in Cosmopolis and have enjoyed him in everything he’s done since so when he was announced, I was like “sure, I bet he’ll be great” and I thought he was.I saw Clean and Sober before they announced Keaton being Batman so I thought it could work. My issue with him was not his Batman, but his Bruce Wayne, which to be fair, I have a problem with most of the actors who had played Batman in the past (with the exception of Clooney and Bale).
It’s true. I actually have to remind myself that he was Batman, since that was far from my first exposure to him and still seems dwarfed by the rest of his work.
He was Bill Blazejowski first!
“Legendary” though? That’s a high bar.I’m a big fan, but I think he’s at least one rung lower than “Legendary”.
Bite your foreign tongue!
Okay, but I’ll have to get it out of the fridge first.
I mean, in-between he had Jackie Brown, Live From Baghdad, Cars, Toy Story 3, Birdman, Spotlight… Birdman and Spotlight won Best Picture, Birdman got him a Best Actor nom. I think he qualifies as a legend.
Birdman alone is worth 37 Mission Implausibles
And Out of Site, playing the same character from Jackie Brown I might add.
Michael Keaton’s a legend to this Australian.
And I don’t even like his stand-up.
It’s hardly his fault you’re not paying attention.
I think its an interesting point. Keaton’s level of fame, while formidable, didn’t QUITE crack the generational barrier enough for his reputation to transcend his absence from the scene.
Multiplicity, in my opinion, is one of the all-time great middlebrow comedies. Between that, Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and the Batman films, there was a time when he and Tom Hanks were in the same ballpark. Obviously, Hanks ascended into the stratosphere when he moved on to serious drama and mostly abandoned comedy (something I really miss from him).
Birdman? Spotlight? Birdman is particularly good and his little speech when it won best picture was great.
Michael Keaton starred in Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns, Jackie Brown, Birdman, Spotlight, Mr. Mom, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Keaton was the English voice for Porco Rosso! He voiced Ken in Toy Story 3. What more do you want?I hear his dramatic work in Clean and Sober and Dopesick is phenomenal too. He is a legend for sure.
Oh, yeah – guess we should worry about the opinion of some Canadian who’s trying to be cool. Nobody cares if you get it.
“take it from me, spend more time with your kids and/or intellectually diminished clones, you’ll never regret it”
Ah, a Multiplicity reference!
Some may think of it as minor Keaton. I care not! Multiplicity is very funny.
HERE’S YOUR PIZZA!
Is Minor Keaton one of his kids?
Why even have kids when you can just xerox yourself another Keaton? It’s gotta be cheaper than a bill from the maternity ward.
I have a wallet.
Honest question. Are there any bad stories about Micheal Keaton in Hollywood? Has he been #Metoo’d? Is he abusive to people on set?Because everything I have read about him and what he tells people, he seems like a really cool hang and I want to believe he is cool
if anything has happened, no one it happened to has felt like taking him down over it. haven’t heard a thing. worst thing i’ve heard him say is that he didn’t love hanging out with larry david in the early comedy scene because he was so negative. which…fair!
To be even fairer, I feel that Larry David doesn’t like hanging out with Larry David.
Some stuff about him being quite the ladies man but all very consensual and classy about it.
But I thought he also said you gotta creep?
He’s from Pittsburgh so he probably doesn’t use the phrase “to be” a lot. Like “that wall needs painted”. He’s a monster!
Never let a Pittsburgher play Hamlet, is my philosophy.
It’s also the title of my beat poetry routine
Ok, that made me spit coffee!
On the other hand he’d probably be great at fighting the traditional George Romero slow-moving zombies!
He’s an American Treasure. Love that guy.
I’ve read he can be surly, but nothing particularly bad (don’t let me down MK).
That just makes him more normal. Everyone is grumpy sometimes. It’s the ones who aren’t you have to watch out for as they’re clearly lying.
Every time President Biden is on my wife hypothesizes that he’s probably really not pleasant to be around. I agree with her: he’s older than dirt and doesn’t have the easiest job.
Plus he’s on your wife
Rumors are that Biden has a pretty bad temper. Nothing super outrageous (especially when you consider the other people who have had his job), but he sounds like he’d be kind of a dick as a boss if you weren’t on his good side.
Everyime President Biden is on my wife… he doesn’t have the easiest job.
tell you what…
I tell ya…
G-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!
As a life long grump, I agree.
Every Letterman appearance made him seem like the most regular dude in Hollywood.
He spend a lot of time with his family…..
who gives a shit, he’s not going to hang out with you. the work is what matters not fantasy friendships
Don’t police my parasocial relationships!
I get the feeling fantasy relationships are all some folks around here have.
He’s like a less annoying Tom Hanks.
Then your kids grow up and they never call and you think“Damn, I should’ve done more movies”.
“Also, don’t take the ability to turn your head for granted.”
I don’t give a shit: Multiplicity will forever be a box office smash in my mind.“She touched my pepe, Steve.”
“Keats, I’ve got one piece of advice for you: Never rub another man’s rhubarb.”
Now I’m really pissed at Michael Keaton. I was looking forward to reading stories about his messed up kids doing messed up things. But they’re gonna be all well adjusted and…and…nice, or something.
Kent State’s Michael Keaton.
“[Maybe] it wasn’t four or five, but it used to be you got away with three and it didn’t matter. Not now, man. You’ve got one miss, which is fucked up,” he says, as if Jared Leto wasn’t an actual person who is regularly given movies to headline.
He’s gonna run out of options at some point, or get stuck in made-for-streaming hell.
*Ryan Reynolds has entered the chat*
Arrgh. Misplaced. Ignore.
Lou Reed said something like this about the failure of his first solo album. “Oh, this album didn’t do well? Go make another one. Back then you got a second chance.”
Jared Leto could have used this advice a few years ago.