Michael Keaton Has ‘Zero Regret’ Prioritizing Fatherhood Over Acting Career

Michael Keaton attends a red carpet for "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" during the 81st Venice International Film Festival on Aug. 28, 2024. Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Michael Keaton does not regret placing his family over Hollywood.

The 73-year-old actor has had immense success throughout his career, acclaimed for roles such as Betelgeuse in 1988’s “Beetlejuice” and Batman in the 1989 and 1992 superhero films. However, he may have attained more if not for his choice to prioritize being a father.

“I could have made a lot more money,” Keaton joked in a Sept. 5 interview with People magazine, adding that he earned the nickname “Dr. No” because of how many parts he’s turned down. He didn’t specify the declined roles but said it was a “no-brainer” to spend time with his son, Sean Douglas, 41, and, more recently, his grandkids.

“That’s only going to happen one time—he’s only going to be a kid [for a bit],” the “Birdman” star said about soaking up every moment with his young son. “You look back, and you go, ‘Zero regret. Zero, zero.’”

“That’s not to say if I’ll see a movie that I didn’t do, and I go, ‘Oh, boy. That turned out to be a good movie.’ But the choice was always the correct choice. I always wanted to be a dad,” he said.

Keaton credited his former wife and son’s mother, actress Caroline McWilliams, who passed away from cancer in 2010, for raising their son well while recognizing Douglas for his outstanding character.

“I will take credit for being a good father. I will give his mom enormous credit for being a tremendous mom. Great, great, great mom,” he says. “And that’s why he’s a good kid.”

“But also, you know what it is? It’s him. I think there’s something in some people that’s just in them,” he said. “I mean, there’s no question, parenting is not just important, it’s key, right? But sometimes there’s just something in certain people. So, the rest of the credit I give to him. He just is built a certain way, always was. Sweet guy, thoughtful.”

Douglas is now an award-winning songwriter who has worked with some of the biggest musical stars, including Madonna, Meghan Trainor, Jason Derulo, Nick Jonas, and Selena Gomez. Despite their schedules, he and his father make time for each other, alongside Douglas’s wife, Rachel Bartov, and their two children.

“I started going, ‘I’m not hanging out with him, and his kids, and Rachel quite enough,’” Keaton said. “And we see each other a lot.”

Back to His Roots

Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas, choosing the “Keaton” moniker to avoid sharing the same name with the 1987’s “Wall Street” Oscar-winner, Michael Douglas, and talk-show host, Mike Douglas.

However, in a Sept. 6 interview with People magazine, Keaton couldn’t exactly recall how he chose the stage name: “I was looking through—I can’t remember if it was a phone book,” he said. “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.’”

After using the “Keaton” name for several decades, the “Spotlight” star would like to return to using a hybrid of his birth and stage name—Michael Keaton-Douglas—moving forward. He planned to use the hybrid in 2023’s “Knox Goes Away,” a movie he directed and starred in, but “forgot” amid the stress of making the film.

“I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton-Douglas.’ And it totally got away from me. And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that. But that will happen,” he said.

His name appears as “Michael Keaton” in his most recent film, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a sequel to the 1988 comedy “Beetlejuice,” released Sept. 6.

Keaton’s Career

After dropping out of Kent State University in Ohio, Michael Keaton’s pursuit of an acting career went full force. He made minor appearances in shows including “Maude” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Hour” before getting a break in the 1979 sitcom “Working Stiffs” with Jim Belushi, which was canceled after one season.

His break on the sitcom led to bigger roles in comedies such as 1982’s “Night Shift,” 1983’s “Mr. Mom,” 1984’s “Johnny Dangerously,” and 1988’s “Beetlejuice.” His career soared after starring as Batman in the 1989 superhero movie before reprising the role in 1992’s “Batman Returns.”

In the past decade, Keaton is credited for his starring roles as a washed-up actor, Riggan Tomson, in 2014’s “Birdman,” businessman Ray Kroc in 2016’s “The Founder,” and Vulture in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” His most recent projects include the 2023 crime film “Knox Goes Away” and the 2024 horror-comedy “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”