"Michael Keaton"

26:38We are so frigging sick of you, you know. We just, like, enough. And so I had that, and that's not a healthy thing. But I just wanted to lay down the potential possibility that, well, wait a minute now. I don't know what to do with him. And the risk is, as you guys know, well, that could be dangerous. And I just rolled the dice because I always bet on me. Don't ask me why, but I do. But you also had this great combination between leading man and character actor. Yeah. That's what I, for me, just as a consumer of you, a fan, you never really took the junk food, the celebrity stuff. You always were just playing an actor.

27:24You were either a character actor or a leading man and sort of this great ratio between both and comedy and drama. And then for my money, like this incredible, you know, validation in Birdman, but, you know, at a moment where a filmmaker and an actor come together sort of in this incredible little recipe between the two that you wouldn't normally put together. And then, like, I don't know, there's been a few combinations like that that was just so exciting to see that combination. And then, of course, the film itself and the concept of the film as well. Just everything coming together and just a rocket ship.

28:08And it was so exciting for me to see. Yeah, thanks. Just that, the story and the community and then also just the film itself. Well, but also, Michael, like, you know, as Jason sort of said, you kind of defied genre in that you couldn't be put in a thing. You got to be a movie star on your own terms, right? You got to kind of, you know, in a time where there really aren't really movie stars in that way anymore. I mean, there are, but it's different. But you were in like the height of the movie star era, and yet you were able to kind of think about it in that you were talking about like doing stuff you wanted to do.

28:43In 1988, you did Beetlejuice and Clean and Sober. Yeah. Now, you want to talk about two movies on different ends of the spectrum. Okay? And then the next year, you did the first film, and we're going to get into Batman in a second. Yeah. Because it's the one thing that I feel a real kinship with you about. But you were part of a lot of firsts. Like Will's kind of saying, like Mr. Mom, nobody was doing a comedy like that. You were the first one to do a comedy kind of like that. Right. And then Beetlejuice and then Batman. You were the first to do a lot of things. Is that something you look for in scripts?

29:18Well, I was going to say, so you do that. In that one year, you do Beetlejuice and Clean and Sober. What was that year like for you? You made your agent look fantastic that year. Yeah, exactly. And meanwhile, that's right. And at the time, that's not what happened. As you guys know, it didn't happen that way. Tim sought me out because he sought me. He said, I'd like to talk to that guy. And so, yeah, that – and I will also credit Elvis Mitchell, whom I'm actually going to speak with later. And Elvis ended up working for me and my partner Harry for a couple years because we read this guy. We thought he was – we just dug what he was about and liked him, and he worked for us for a minute.

30:01And I'll credit Elvis. I don't think there was – I don't know what the award was. It was either New York, I don't know what it was, New York Film Critics or Film Critics World. There was something, they didn't have an event. And Elvis kind of said, excuse me, what Will just said, basically. And then they said, okay, sure, we'll give it to him. And then there was, I have somewhere a piece of paper or something. But that didn't come via, that came from Tim asking about me, about wanting to meet me about Beetlejuice through David Geffen. and the clean and sober thing came, and that was another thing that people said, you don't want to do that.

30:42My agent literally at the time said, I don't think you should do that. And I said, yeah, I'm pretty sure I should just because I want to. This is a really well-written script. You guys know this. I mean, it's hard to find something. The writing will drive everything ultimately right now, whether it comes together or that's another story. So I'll run through this. I'm sorry. And so that in one year, I didn't plan any of that. That just happened. I just said, man, this guy Tim Burton, he is something. I just don't know what he is. I just know for sure he's something. And when he tried to explain Bill Juice to me, I said, they said, what did you think?

31:23I said, I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is. I don't understand it. But I like that guy. And he said, he wants to talk to you. Will you just give him another one? I go, yeah, all right. I'll go meet him again. And I go talk to him. And I said, yeah, well, I'm still the same. I still don't understand. I say this about Tim, who I freaking love. I would say in his life, he is, you know, a declarative sentence, you know, with a subject, a verb, and, you know, and then a period at the end. I'd say he's completed maybe eight, maybe eight declarative simple sentences. he just doesn't think like that he's not that he's not that guy you know and so i meet him and i go okay i'm getting closer then he said two things to me and i went all right i think this guy's worth it so i said give me him give me a minute and i went home and i started thinking about it and he said a couple things and i asked for wardrobe from every period of time to go to my house i was renting this house that was empty i didn't know furniture and i i just started hand handpicking stuff.

32:33And then I, there was something about, that I found kind of spooky and creepy about, like, bad teeth and a semi-broken nose and a walk. And I said, what about, and then I just started going to work. And I said, you know what? There's something about this guy. I really dig him. Fuck it. I don't know. I don't know. Does this work? And so that happened. And then Clean It Sober was just another script. It wasn't like I said. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, Michael, wait, wait, wait. Okay. The character of Beetlejuice. First of all, half the movie, you're in like old-timey prison garb. Right. And you've got this fucking, and you've got like mascara on that covers half your face.

33:12Yeah. And your hair is sticking up, and you've got this voice, and you go, yeah. And you're like, yeah, say what you want. Yeah, it's so good. And you fucking, and I'm like, you want to talk about taking a big fucking swing? I mean, how do you go, how do you show up day one? are they like, okay, guys, let's rehearse. We're going to block the scene in the mic. And you come and go, say it to your daughter. Like, what the fuck is going on? What's this guy doing? I mean, it's a lot. And it fucking, you nailed, you drilled it in a way that you couldn't even. Did you preview that for Tim before the first rehearsal?

33:47No, that's very insightful, Will, because you're right. That's what, no, I didn't. And that was the beauty of, and is the beauty of working with him. You're really just making stuff. Like, let's go make stuff, you know. And so we talked, and no one was paying attention. The budget was small, and no one was paying attention. And we were down in Raleigh Studios, and I said, okay, I don't know. Here's what's weird about this. Think of this. We never tested it. We never tested it. I said, here's what I want to do. It's like he stuck his finger in a thing. he starts here and he goes up from there it's never like there's no arc yeah there's no he just he goes from 10 to 15 right right and it never and it never and I said and I don't know why I don't have an actor's explanation for any of this shit like the great thing about this thing is you can't you never could say my character wouldn't do that right right right the rule there are no rules there are no rules the freedom was unbelievable so Will yeah that's in that's insightful because i go tim had the suit tim had the eyes tim had the pale makeup and he said something to me about he's from all different he he appears out of time no you know in the 20s in the 18 there's no he's not connected at any time or anything he might go underground for years until he's released so i said underground i said how about mold let's do some mold up the face you know and then and then i said okay you know the hair is like it has to stick all the way out and but the striped suit was tim's vision he started showing me pictures of all his stuff and so on that day when i showed up i went i don't know here we go right as soon as i walked on the first scene you can see him his eyes get big and he lights up and he goes yes and then you know it's the ultimate yes and because he'd go, oh, I didn't know we were going to do that.

35:53Hold on a minute. If you're going to do that, let me show you something. See when you go up there. This is what that's going to – He had to explain to me what was going to happen. And I went, oh, I think I get it. Because of the visual effects? Yeah, because of the visual effects. What happened later? Yes, yes, yes. And also – Fuck, man. Dude, you're out on a – I love this so much. Out on a ledge. I love the idea that you're out on a fucking ledge and you don't know where you're fucking going. That to me is my – And didn't give a shit. And don't get, that's my fucking dream come true, man. I know.

36:24I know. It's so fun to talk to you guys about this because there's, I'm with three people who know, kind of know what I'm talking about. But then you land it into the most. But then you go to clean and sober. Yeah, exactly. Which is the most, like, no tricks, no makeup, no wardrobe. It's just people talking and being raw and, like, I'm being honest. It's Mike Tyson walking in with trunks and two boxing gloves. Yeah. How many people over the years have come up to you and told you that clean and sober had a profound effect on their life? Lots. And, boy, that means something to me. You know, so I say this, and I don't care what people think.

36:55I'm so blessed that I get to do some things that every once in a while that'll happen. You know, how many people have that job? You know, a lot of people would like that job. I have that job. That's why I did worth. Yeah. That's why I did, you know, my life. Yeah, my life. And you go, you got to do these things if you got the opportunity. You know, you've been given this thing, you know. Yeah, I earned it, but I've been also given it. So if you can throw everybody a solid, fucking do it. And then go make some money. So speaking of which, speaking of making money, you go and in 1989, you once again team up with Tim Burton and you do Batman.

37:43Yeah. And that is the fucking game changer. Yeah. That's the game changer of game changer. And I mean, in a lot of ways, you doing that allowed me to make some money. Oh, yeah. All right. So I guess I kind of fucking owe you, dude. A little bit. A little bit. A little bit. A little bit. You did the first I am Batman. By the way, I'll give you my business manager's address. Just Venmo. Just do Venmo. Yeah, just Venmo. I just got out of high school when that came out when Batman came out and I was like wait the guy from Night Shift that I've seen a million times and Mr. Mob he's Batman? like and then I didn't take the look of your face again no but wait hang on wait for it and then and then you saw I even saw the trailer I was like oh my god I can't I mean nailed it in the trailer I remember seeing the poster for it I was like oh my god I remember seeing the poster just the symbol of the Batman and I was like what I was like what the fuck is this so I bought some credit to Tim yeah for going yeah that guy and people went what are you buddy your mind and he went no that guy so I don't think enough credit has been given to him me I went you know we had the meeting he and I sat he said take this home and read it tell me you think and I remember where I was sitting where the window was and he and I were talking and I said, well, so here's what I think, but nobody's going to do that.

39:16And he went, that's exactly right. And so he had to go to them and say, no, that guy, and to his credit, boy, you know, he changed everything. He changed everything. I could talk. I mean, Marvel exists. All of it exists because of that movie, dude. A lot of people made a lot of money off me and Tim and Jack. Sean has nutted over a thousand times to Marvel movies because of that movie. Right? A thousand nuts. There's that. Yeah. There's that. Yeah. You can't put a price on that. No, you can't put a price on that. But it did. It launched the, you know, and ever since then we've all been fucking under the tyranny of IP.

40:03But, you know, but you did start that. Good way to put it. And it was, I stole that from somebody. but you're right but it's true but you guys started it you and Tim Burton but you as the face Tim is incredible obviously like you said well and you kind of invented the whole like Will just said like the whole thing like the tone and the feel and the look and the everything there was humor to it but it was also serious and there was action and it was dark yeah but you know Will there was very little humor in it and you know maybe we can't no but you had moments though Yeah. As Bruce Wayne. No, I mean in the original script.

40:42In the original script. Oh, really? Yes. And so, you know, maybe it's just an instinct, but there were scenes. Because even that, man, that pressure was on Tim so big. Pressure was on all of us. And you felt it every day. You know, you go to the studio, people flying in, you know, because this was a big swing for everybody. But there wasn't, and I don't know if it's the instinct or not, you know a gut feeling saying well wait a minute you know a lot of this kind of darkness I mean maybe maybe maybe not so much so so as an example in that scene where the big long table where Vicky Vale comes over and I'm having a date and I'm so nervous you know and I go do I tell her do I not tell her I can't let her know but I really like this woman and and she's sitting there she asked me about the room and I said Tim you know what would be funny and there were a couple of these moments i said you know if he goes yeah yeah and then he realizes i don't think i've ever been in this room before i mean which says everything about the character right you go yeah who's this lonely guy he's rambling around the house you know yeah yeah it's great sort of like high low of him yeah yeah i i love i love that kind of stuff that kind of awareness of it and and not taking himself too seriously really in that moment because there's a way that that could come across as a as a dick and it wasn't.

42:02You got it. It all fell within the context of a guy who was really rich, but his parents were murdered, but all that stuff, right? Yeah. And kind of a weird dude. A very weird dude.

42:17What was it like when that movie came out? And it was, as you said, it was a big swing for everybody, a big swing for you and your career, a big swing for Tim Burton, a big swing for the studio. They put a lot of money into it. The books have been written about this movie and how it got made, etc. And when that movie comes out and it's a fucking smash hit, how many high fives? Did you have to bandage your hand from the high fives? Or was it the opposite? Was it, oh, this is going to be a level of exposure and responsibility now that could change things and it might not be comfortable? More of that.

42:50Jason. Jason immediately looks at the negative. Or was it that? Now I'm obligated to go and say thank people for paying the money. I have to go to. Now all of a sudden, now I've got to talk to my business manager. It's good news. Is it good news? It's good news for you. Now, did you guys know, did you guys know the chemistry would work like Jason Brink is, you know, he's neat. Everyone's always neat to do what he just did. Did you guys go, oh, fuck. That's why we hired the guy. Just bring in the dark. That's why we, yes, bring him. Well, we've had the good fortune, guys, I'm going to say, of being friends for 20 years.

43:26So we knew. Don't touch it. Yeah, we have a good little dance. It's like the guys on TBS, you know, Charles Barkley and those guys. Someone just needs to say to them, don't touch it. Don't touch it. I love those guys. Yeah. We'll be right back.

43:47And now back to the show. But did you, you must have, was it just, Was it not what Jason was saying that you felt an obligation? No, I was going there. I liked that, actually. Yeah, you were thinking about the deal you'd already struck for the sequel. No, you woke up and you're like, did you buy a Ferrari? What the fuck did you do that next morning? Got a tattoo, a Batman tattoo. You're like, I never even want a Ferrari, but I better fucking get one now. I don't even want one. That's true. You know, I actually did investigate getting a Ferrari one time. Yes. I actually did. And I remember thinking, I'm too lazy for the amount of work and effort I'm going to have to put into this.

44:30You mean the clutch and the stick, right? Yeah. Well, not that so much. But like, where do I have to be careful? Where can I really drive it? Is this really worth it? I'm blessed that I don't need a lot of stuff because I'm just lucky that I don't need a lot of stuff. I'm not so cool. I just don't have an interest. I love that you're thinking through the practicality of a Ferrari. Yeah, I know. There's nothing practical about it. You can't valet it. Like, what do you do? Is it good on ice? All of a sudden, I'm the least interesting, most unfun guy. Oh, I don't know if this is practical. I'm going to put my clubs.

45:04There's no back seat. Exactly. I know you're really good. But you must have been elated, and it must have felt like a good vindication. Now, look, you'd had a lot of success before, but this was like a different thing, I bet. I let myself enjoy it. It was global. You let yourself enjoy it. Yeah. And also what Jason called the downer. Let's just refer him as a downer. No, and a little bit of that. Say, whoa, this is a lot. You know, it's not, I don't love this kind of stuff. You know, yeah. And, you know, sometimes knowing you, knowing who you are now and all your success with all of the unbelievable, your resume is just one of the most impressive ever.

45:43It really is. It's just incredible. I always, you know, you don't think about, oh, well, that guy probably had, he had an audition like I just see you as a movie star but when you're when you're younger you had an audition and start out you know just like all the rest of us and it's hard to imagine you walking into a room what made you didn't you grow up in where did you grow up? right outside of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and so what got you to LA like what made you want to do it? well boy we could go let me make it we have 10 minutes left okay for this one answer okay right uh yeah i just showed a couple times what's your next question no i'm kidding i'm totally we have an hour whatever you want i was i was this kid who was you know it started to get very interested in i thought could a person do this you know and um yeah because i come from so not that background except my funny family my funny brothers and sisters and a big family and at the youngest, so there's that, right?

46:45So when I went to school, I was curious because my friends and I were, the guys I hung with tightly and some young women at the time were funny, and I'd like to be around them, and I knew what my taste was. And so I was not a theater kid. However, I did take a couple theater classes, so I was clearly curious about this, and I was not very good, I don't think. I auditioned for a play. I got a little role in a play in school. Didn't really do anything for me. And then I dropped out of school to make some money to go back to school. And in the interim, I was doing this play in Pittsburgh, Sticks and Bones.

47:23And at the same time working at the PBS station where I do everything and everything. And at the same time, while I was in school, I was really into the lampoon. And I was really into everything funny. And so I started writing. And I thought, I don't know if I can even do this other thing, if I ever try it. Maybe I could write this. You're just a kid trying to figure things out, right? Yeah. So I said, well, I'm kind of liking this, and I just trusted myself. And I said, you know what? This is either going to happen or not happen. So I started to go to New York where I was about to move, and at the last minute I went to California thinking I'd only stay there for a summer.

48:03And I was writing, and I started performing stand-up and doing a play. And the stand-up thing worked in New York like that off the bat. i mean when i say worked it didn't work it worked in that i got asked back the first time i showed up and that's a big deal so you did that and i went i really love this because it was theater to get to the auditioning part so now i'm going to go to california and i'm going to do this real fast and i'm sleeping on floors like everybody else and crashing with buddies and working in restaurants and doing all the things parking cars doing everything everybody does the thing that turned it around in terms of the audition process was i was an okay auditioner but what and i tell when young people ask me i tell them this all the time forget i want i want i need forget throw that out you're fucked you have the job the job is for the next 15 minutes you're at work right the audition is the job that's the gig right so you got to go to work today for 15 minutes right you It's excruciating.

49:06It's a horrible setup. There's nothing good about it. But once I said, I'm not going to look at this like, I got to get this. I turned the corner where I said, you know what, man? I feel pretty good today about what I did. So I'm just going to look at it like at 3.30 out at MTM Studios or wherever I was going to be. Yeah, Radford. I'm going to work. And so I thought, yep, get ready to go to work. What a great approach. My job only lasted 20 minutes. and then I went to my regular job and I said, I don't know, fuck it. It freed me up. Totally freed me up. Of course it did. And I like the idea of also telling that to young actors because people, you know, they ask me for advice all the time and I always say, you know, fuck off.

49:47So now I have something that I can say I came up with. Get that camera out of my face. Who the fuck? Who gave you? My parents know your parents. Shut the fuck. No, but that is such great advice. You know, I think the other thing is it kind of falls in the same line of like, once you realize, once you get older and you've done a bit more in doing what we do, you start to, and you get to the other side and you have a chance to direct JB and produce stuff and whatever, you realize when they, that they are looking to solve a problem, right? That they want somebody to come in. They want, what you don't know is a young actor.

50:25They're on your side. They're on your side. They want you to get this job. Because they, they got another character to cast yeah because once I figured that out and I remember casting something with Mitch and people coming in and going oh fuck I hope this dude's good man and I used to think that they were like oh show me no we were like fuck it this guy's great you guys are actors so you're sympathetic you go you know what that feels like right so you know you don't want something there's no merit in watching something go down? No, there's no merit to it. Oh, it's the worst. It's the fucking worst feeling.

51:05Wait, I want to talk about, because, you know, I wanted to... But you did, I was just going to say, he was just talking about the auditioning shot, if you don't mind, just one second. Oh, yeah. Made me think of another subject. No, I'm just kidding. Do you... No, while we're on the subject, is that, and you were talking about MTM. You did, I wasn't kidding in my intro, you were on that two different iterations of the Mary Tyler one called Mary and the other called Mary Tyler Moore Hour is that what it was called or something with Dave Letterman with Letterman Letterman bailed after the first one yeah I stuck around that's so funny and they were in the fucking cast together I didn't know that in 1978 Michael is that right wait did you work with Jimmy Burroughs Jimmy Burroughs wait Jimmy Burroughs directed he directed Mary Tyler Moore wait Jason you and I you know one of my favorite jobs ever I always really liked Gary Goldberg yeah and I always really liked him good guy and his wife I remember Diana Courtney actually was just singing his praises two days ago at the same time she was singing yours well he's he gave me this gig that was one of my favorite I'll talk to you about that MTM thing but one of my favorite things I ever did was this character I did on Tony Randall had a show for a minute He had a couple of shows, I guess.

52:30Many shows, probably. But he had a thing called the Tony Randall Show, and Gary Goldberg hired me because he had seen me do something. I think he gave me the job, but I may have auditioned. But at night school, it was called Ed's Night School, I think, and Tony Randall taught law at a night school, and I played this kind of dude, you know, and, you know, like kind of a little dance, which is always fun and hard to play. I'm the best. Will has no problem playing this. It's my fucking, it's my right out of bed. That's your sweet spot. Anyway, so I played this thing and as an aside, I learned as much about comedy from watching Tony Randall because he would kind of direct because he knew more than anybody anyway.

53:19And his precision was so, and I was about, like I thought, no man you know freewheeling his precision was so impressive that i remember going whoa pay attention to that you know where you know where and the how and the you know it was just really an education so yeah when i was when i was doing that and i i apparently have forgotten the question but mary telling more of great so then that that led to all that other stuff so letterman bailed after the first we all thought it was going to be a little something and she was wonderful lady really liked her and and the guys who were part of that group who was jay tarsus and tom you know those guys they were part of it so we went well their pedigree is really good and it wasn't quite what we thought it would be and dave bailed and i stuck around for the second iteration which was so fun man i had a little i could afford a honda a little honda civic and I could go I remember driving to work down to MTM Studios thinking there's no way this could get better there's no way my life could get better than me yeah and I was making you remember I mean you go look what you're making you know and it wasn't much and you go are you kidding me I have a little apartment that's relatively clean yeah you know I got a car oh man it's so fucking great that you just hit something that sweet spot of that you guys know too like when you get that that first gig where you go like, I'm fucking doing this.

54:53I'm doing this. And I'm getting paid and I'm doing this. And I remember the first year of Will and Grace, I was 27 years old. I was like, I'll get fired next week, I'm sure. Sure, right. But it doesn't matter the time. You were on Will and Grace. That's what it is. Michael, I want to go back to the Beetlejuice 2. Yeah. Looks incredible. When you got, yeah, it looks amazing. When you got the, when you said yes to doing that, Were you like, oh man, in the first day in the makeup trailer, you're like, why did I put this? I got to put the wig on. I got to put the fucking dirt on my face. I got to put the black circles.

55:28Or were you like, no, this is awesome? No, it was the second. It was like, this is awesome. Because you have to understand, this is a long time in the making, but not so as you'd know it, right? Yeah, because everybody I knew for years were like, why don't they do a sequel? Why don't they do a sequel so finally it's here? because you can't recreate what we made you can't write it it's imagine trying to write it when a lot of the writing just happened you know it wasn't on the page so much even though it some of it was and some was terrific and the world was terrific you go do that again you go it doesn't work like that even in the most well-written you know you could take larry gilbert or neil simon or any of the brilliant writers and try to duplicate Tootsie.

56:13It would have never, you couldn't do it again. So imagine trying to do that. So obviously we were never going to do it. Then for years I thought, don't touch that. Leave that alone, man. That's a little piece. You just leave that alone. Don't touch it. But I liked it so much. And Tim and I worked so well together. And I liked him so much that every once in a while I would go, what do you think? And the answer was Nat. and then it started getting more interesting to me and i suggested i'd like to do that again then that time passed and then i thought it was done so when it came around again we didn't would see scripts now and then and then just you know they just didn't work and then these guys kind of got it and went whoa this could be good so tim started talking to me about it he had to finish something and so to answer your question when you then you say okay i'm in i had done a bunch i'd direct this movie and i act in another movie and another one and i was a little tired and i thought i would like another two months just to chill and kind of ramp it up and and i didn't get it and i thought fuck it let's go do it so we went to go make it and as i'm sitting in that makeup trailer that you mentioned i remember going this is really fun and i'm really excited and i'm nervous because i go can you can you pull this off again and can you do it because don't do it if you don't look stupid and not just for me don't fuck this thing up you know right and and so what hit me was i was sitting in the makeup trailer going yeah here we go that's right and trying to explain to the woman none of the head it's got a not quite you know talking her through that and then we were getting there and getting ready to do it and about three days in i went there's something wrong and i don't know what's wrong there's something off it wasn't horrible i just that just just in thoreau it's Justin Theroux.

57:59He comes in with his sleeves on. He's so funny in this. Dude, he's so funny in this. I don't buy it. We'll wait and see. We'll wait and see. I'll be the judge. I'll be the judge. All right. I love you. So listen to this. So I'm sitting there and I go, I don't know what this is. And I'm sitting in the makeup trailer and I'm going, yeah, this is fun. I'm having fun. But what is bugging me? And I looked in the mirror and I went, I got it. I know what it is. And I don't know about you guys, but I don't look at makeup anymore. I should go check more often in the monitor. I know I've made huge errors, but I don't look at things anymore.

58:32I just go do it and I go home. I looked in the mirror and I went, I got it. I know what it is. This thing we created came out of nowhere. It just came out of this nowhere. When I looked in the mirror, I saw toys. I went, this is fucked up. I saw, you know what I mean? I saw little Beater Joyce toys. Oh, like, like, like. It looked like, you know what I mean? it looked like keychains and it looked like mugs. The commercial part of it that it had become. All the merch. Yeah, and it wasn't that that's a bad thing. It was, oh, that perception is, yeah, we've seen them because we've seen it on T-shirts.

59:11So did you change the look at all? That's interesting. I didn't. I went, a little bit. There was something with the hair that wasn't working. I went, nah, that never really looked exactly like that. And you're trying to like, and then you go, get that, whatever it takes to get that out of your brain. Just go back to what made you even think of this frigging thing. It's a derivative. It's based on an impression. I remember feeling that way with writers who would go, all of a sudden you'd read a script and they'd go, and they'd have your character do something. Oh, they want me to do it because they saw me do this in other times.

59:47But they don't realize that in other times my character did that because it was organic to what was happening. Now they just want to see the trick. They don't want to see what led up to the trick. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? And you'll never do it as well. Yeah. Yeah, you'll never do it as well. How did you fix that, Michael? How did you make a friend of that? Psychologically, you had to go wipe that out of your brain, take it out of your brain. Find a new version of them, yeah. Yeah. No, you know, when you go on set, go, what was the thing originally? Yeah. You know, what was this thing originally?

1:00:16Just go be that again. Make it yours again. Yeah, make it yours again. Make it like, how did we come up with this crazy thing? And what was hard about that was there were certain things in this. look man I'm on record as saying how good this thing is I'm not gonna go on and on it's so good but when I go on the set there were things in the script shows you how smart I am that I remember reading the script go ooh this could work I go I don't know about that Tim likes that idea I don't think that idea is good three of them I was wrong on all three I was wrong about I was dead wrong when I saw it I went he's just a remarkable filmmaker I mean the thing he's never done anything easy not once no and Edward Scissorhands you know yeah incredible his degree of difficulty that he takes on and just drills it every single time yeah I don't feel like except for Carol nail clipper feet do you do you think do you think which was underrated but which was so do you guys do so you do this and like you've gone on the record saying it's gonna be great I mean that is a lot of pressure right yeah you have this thing this iconic thing that you guys create and you're like i'm sure when you're reading it or you're doing it you're thinking like fuck man if we don't drill this we are we got a target on our fucking back people are going to come for us yeah honestly i didn't but it's team sports right you don't really take do you take it on uh you know individually no right i mean don't you sort of do you get that sense when you're working on something that it's we're all kind of rowing in the same direction and that it's not really on you?

1:01:52If you're healthy, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Do you find yourself in that position as often as you want to mentally? Good question. Yeah, mostly, I think. I think there's a part of me, and honestly, I'm not being humble here. There's a part of me that's just plain stupid, I think. There's a part of me that just goes, I don't know. I don't think of some of these things other people think, and I don't know what that comes from, but I just don't. sometimes I do and I certainly was nervous about going back into it only to say can I do this not just do it and get through it but go can you can you get there because it's deserving of you being yeah being good you know you need to be be good and in terms of what me talking about it I'll tell you when I say I don't care what anybody else thinks of it I'm willing to say what I think about it because this is just how I feel about it there's movies I've seen and you guys have seen that people have hated and I went, not me, I love this movie.

1:02:48Or other movies where you go, I don't get what people are raving about. Me, I don't care. Every person I've ever run into for the rest of my life could say, boy, that second beat would just really suck. I'd go, not to me. I mean, it has so many elements. It's so beautiful, first of all, physically. And you kind of care. And I'm telling you, every fucking person is funny in this. I mean, Justin is funny. Catherine is funnier than she was in the first one and just for the audience it is a biopic yeah yes yes thank you yeah thank you based on a true story it's based on a true story it's a true story of Beetlejuice the character who goes across centuries you know it is it's licensed just to go out and be silly it's just licensed I love that I love it oh man well look like we say we've taken up too much of your time I could talk to you way too much like an hour I'm way too old I know I know I know yeah really and we just what a thrill to have you man on the show you're just I just love that like Jason said that you're still doing it that you're still rising you're still doing incredible stuff you keep surprising us and mixing up and might I add that you look fucking fantastic yeah you do yeah you look great look at you I haven't seen you in 30 years you sound great you don't sound crazy I hope I'm not crazy ever you know what I mean none of us get crazy you're kind you're appreciative You've done it all.

1:04:14And I mean that in the best way. For Christ's sake. But you've done it all and you've got your fucking feet on the ground. Let me ask you a question. If I would do this show every day, would I get this? No, not really. No, you would not. It's usually just once. You would not. That's a fucking good question, by the way. That's a good question. That's really funny. No, we'd turn on you pretty quick. I like the read, Jason. It wasn't mean. I'm being honest. Not probably. Just the one. We'd turn on each other. It doesn't take much for us to turn on each other. Yeah, immediately we'd put you right in the stew.

1:04:46You'd get it as hard as we do. But what a thrill, man. It was so great to talk to you. And Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, man, I'm excited. Yeah. All right. Thanks, Michael. Thanks, guys. Come on back out of Montana and come hang out with us. All right. Thank you. Honestly, it was really fun. Thank you. Thanks, man. Good to see you, Michael. All right, brother. Thank you, buddy. Bye.

1:05:08You've been stealing Michael Keaton's shit for years. I know. I didn't want to embarrass him as well because, and I've, you know, got to know him just to say hello over the last five, six years or something. We'd see each other and stuff. And you know where I always talk to him, JB? Huh? Conan's Christmas party. Oh, you know. It's true, I do. You're going to get invited this year again. Don't you mention his name to me. But, and I always talk to him about stuff, and I always tell him how much, and he's a big hockey fan, he's a big Penguins fan. so we talk hockey and then last year he was really kind to me he said something really nice about me on Colbert which was a fucking thrill of a lifetime but anyway and I just love the way he does it and it's the only impression I've ever done and he doesn't know this is of him but it's an impression of him from Gung Ho we didn't talk about that I go

1:06:11So, they're going to, the Japanese, they bought the car plant?

1:06:19That's really good. Listener, if you could see it. If you could see it. If you could see it, it's good. You'd say. It's really good. Close. Close. Yeah. Yeah, I've just been such a fan of his. I mean, Jay, you pointed out, I mean, he does seamlessly between comedy and drama and absurdism and just everything. yeah and I like what you said my life have you ever watched my life no I think I probably have it's a fucking it's so great and sad and oh my god so good anyway what are you going to say Jay well just that he's he's reached such a an enormous height of success and relevance yet he can still go to the market and he can still get a movie financed like that's really hard I don't know if he could yeah he could he could go to the market for sure because he's not a celebrity He's just a really, really well-respected, very famous actor that can do anything, and people go to see him.

1:07:14Yeah, and I like what you said, Jason, about the, you can't really nail him down. Like, you can't, or maybe you said it well, that you can't. You can't label him. Yeah, you can't label him, right. I love that. That's so true. By the way, that movie, My Life, is about a guy who's going to die, and his son's going to be born. It's with Nicole Kidman, I think, and he leaves videos for his son because he's not going to meet him. and how to live and what to do and how to do stuff. If you're looking to get rid of any tears, I guess you just dial that up. I wish I could hug you guys right now. Yeah. Dump some.

1:07:47Hey, on that ranch that he was living on, do you think there were a lot of animals around there? Like, what kind of animals? Hang on, I hope your fucking mic cuts out. What kind of animals? I hope the electricity goes out of your house, right? Wait, no, like, there's probably, like, cows and there's probably, like, bigger cows and, like, chickens. You mean, like, some Bison! Bison! Bye. Bye. Smart. Less.

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