Michael Keaton on Playing Batman at the Oscars, Directing Al Pacino & the Beetlejuice Sequel

Tonight's first guest is a night-changing layered crusade, Beetle, juicy man, mom with a new movie he directed, starring himself and Al Pacino, called Knox leaves, opens theaters Friday Please welcome Michael Keaton, how are you? I almost did this, which I never did. I don't get it, you know, you know, Ed McMahon used to do that, that was, yeah, Ed always did that to Johnny, that was the big step, right? Ed was a Buddhist. I don't know if you knew that. He imagines being a Buddhist. I did it well. I must have known him because I did.

In fact, I asked Carson about having about two more weeks before he retired, maybe more, maybe a month, and I got a chance to do it. Yeah, oh wow, you came in right under the end, right under the wire, yeah, that's something else, I know, it was like something you said, hey, oh, you realized it was retired, it's like it's better than do this, oh man, absolutely, yeah, yeah, oh, and you really didn't. I chatted with Ed, huh, not much, no, we talked about Buddhism, we had Ed here, Ed was my co-host for a week, um, here on the show once and I got to know Ed pretty well, yeah, it was cool, I bet it was very.

I mean, sometimes I feel like I'm like some kind of talk show fantasy camp, but tonight, in a way, having you here on the show and having Ed McMahon sitting next to me was like I was in a sketch. which must have felt weird, it was very strange, yes, but kind of cool, yes, and I think he accidentally called me Johnny a couple of times, which was good, they probably had a couple. Yeah, yeah, more than a couple, maybe think about that, though think about those guys. I mean, think about the stories, think about the things he knew, you know, oh yeah, oh man, some cool stuff behind the scenes.

There's a story about Ed MC, man. I don't know if it's true, but I heard it from a good source. He and Johnny went. on a trip, this sounds like one of our G trips because of the way they got on a prop plane, went to Florida to play golf or something and already had a Like this, they had a rough night, so at the end of the night Ed was incapacitated and in the morning Ed was still incapacitated and they couldn't get him up to take him to the private airfield to get him on the plane, first of all that image just trying to get Ed out of bed, you know? only yeah, it's cool, so Johnny and the other guys somehow take not just Ed but the entire mattress and load the mattress with Ed on top of it onto the back of his PL.

Do you think that's true? That is fantastic. I think it s true. one of those stories, you know those stories, you say, oh, I hope this is true, I really hope the story is true, yeah, yeah, that's cool, well, you know, we might as well believe it's true and, uh, because Who is going to argue with that? Yes, but I believe many things. Do you believe strange things? No, um, you, I'm not, I'm not a conspiracy, I know you're very sensible, you are, yeah, even though you are, I have to say, like, uh, looking at you.

The other night at the Oscars looking at you, you were in the audience Arnold Schwarzenegger Danny DeVito says they saw Batman. I think we have a clip of this here and now they see Batman and you, that's a menacing look, I mean, yeah, you. You are a very friendly person and yet there is a special yes, there is a little glint of evil in your eyes, maybe you even know what oh, you will come back when I tell you to come back, no, you have to go, you have to. go in the face, you know, when that happens, you just fall into that face, man, you know what I mean, yeah, yeah, that was Danny I'd worry about because he's sneaky, yeah, yeah, he'd sneak up on me. behind you, yeah, and he has the height advantage because it's so you know, you don't know where he is, he's always sneaking past the other guy.

I would just leave it aside. I'm too slow, it's not even Schwarzenegger, yeah. You will kill him. It wouldn't even be very fun, it was very fun to do, that's when show business is really fun, you know, I don't know, I actually still don't know if it was you, this is what happened when you come and rehearse. for the show because it has to be tight are you sick of being congratulated by the way oh no okay so great man really cool really cool I mean that's you uh the bad news is you're going to have to do it yourself right?

I don't know about that, we'll see, they call me, right, am I right about this? We rehearse and I'm on my way home and I get a text from you or Molly. I forgot, yeah, I was with my my wife and I, the great Molly, who is the producer of the show, one of the producers of the show, yeah, and they gave me this idea and I know what the idea is and I know when it is because, Frankly, I wanted to go get some dinner, but you know, and I thought, oh, this might be a little fun, but let's see how it goes, so when I was back in the Green Room, uh, we were talking, you know, everyone was chattering. and I'm talking to this kid, this big kid comes up and says, come on, we have to go and I'm looking at him, go where and he says no, you're in now, I said you mean the thing and the audience, he goes .

Yeah, so you sink into your past, you know, hey, Ryan Gosling, you know you're walking past all these famous people and I love that. Panic, you know where it might not, it might not work, it might work and they say where it's going to sit. This poor kid is sweating bullets, where is he going to sit and work perfectly now? The best thing, if I don't mind saying it, I brought an ascot, you brought a little, yeah, a costume change, yeah, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, because I thought if I'm going to do this, I'm G for Bruce Wayne , a little bit more, yeah, sure, yeah, because people just saw me on stage, nice little touch, nice touch, right?

Yeah, how many, how many ascots do you do? own, how many, how many ascots do you have, I want to know more than 2,000, yes, one of the largest collections in the world, come here sometime, just hanging neatly, you know, who knows how to wear an al

pacino

ascot, this is a man that yes and Al Paccino is in the movie with you that you directed Al Paceto, yes he is, it's like jumping right into it, yes, yes, yes, yes, can I ask what is it? I mean, are you comfortable telling him what to do? Oh yes yes. oh yeah, I'm comfortable telling everyone what to do, no, you know, it was great, you know, I knew him a little bit, not a lot, and um, we were going back and forth about who was going to play this particular one.

I did part of it with everyone, by the way, this is a tremendous cast, so I talked on the phone with them and you know we knew each other and I talked to him and I'll tell you this that we just started talking about, uh, I mean, I. I joke about the Ascot thing but the actors get a little uh uh whatever I don't know how to think any other way I didn't think, oh, I'll say, sit in the audience, I thought no, no, no, Bruce Wayne has to sit in the audience, so think like that in Spades, so we talked on the phone.

I mean, how do you know what you think he says? Well, MK, I want to do it, you know, but I'm not sure. You know, we're talking about us. He goes into detail and we have this conversation. I thought it was going to last about 15 minutes. He never talked about the character. The film was never esoteric. He was never too cerebral. He was never much of an actor. It lasted about an hour. The best conversation I've ever had in my life about acting, really yes, when I hear myself talk about it, I'm bored to tears. In fact, I find it interesting to listen to others, but in my case I just don't want to talk about it.

I really don't know, it was so cool, I got so excited and he's just the best, I mean, he's a dream and, uh, but the whole cast I have to say, not only are they all great, yeah, but there's only one out there. and there's only one Michael Keaton and when we get back we'll see a clip from Michael Keaton's new movie KN says wa, we'll be right back you need to get a grip I don't know how to do this. No, I'm not like you, you know, I'm not a murderer, but you are a murderer, a very good one, one too, not half an idiot.

I was at the scene, let me explain it to you this way, that was not what you call proportional. answer, it's Michael Keaton and James Marsden at KN. The way you play Father and Son, yeah it's great, James Mars, oh man he's so good in this movie. I keep saying people don't watch James Marsman, but they really won't. surprised because I think people know how good this guy is, he's great, but this is a turn, man, yeah, he, the movie, you'll explain it better than me, but it was about a Hitman who suffers, uh, no . even diens it was like a very quick flash of memory, yeah, loss and um, he has a plan and that plan gets more confusing as the illness progresses, that's great, actually, yeah, yeah, I'm grieving with this form of dementia, right? and uh uh, I see I have strange. son James and then, uh, it all takes off from there, so he's the one who presents me with some kind of problem and, uh, I hope you know that Billy or Shan never presents us with that, yeah, so, um, it's a matter of I can do it?

Before I'm Completely Gone, the title of which is Knox Leaves Before I'm Gone and it's a strange mix of exciting giggles and giggles, but also some sadness, like when he opens the door and there's his son and he just doesn't know what it is, yes, you received very good reviews for the movie and you also mind if I read them. Do not read. Michael Keaton directs himself in one of the most memorable performances as a hitman with dementia. Sometimes actors are good filmmakers and Knox leaves Michael Keaton is a total filmmaker who just turned 72 and with his sandpaper skin and AstroTurf gray hair, okay, okay, he looks from certain angles a little more wrinkled than before, but still agile with an ice-pick shine Authority, that's right, I think that's a good, very good description of you, Ed, that description.

I was reading about you, uh, today, some of the interviews that you've done about this movie and you said that you create a backstory for your character which I find interesting because I'm not an actor and I don't know about that stuff, so every character that you do does it have a backstory, yeah, not for Beetlejuice, not for Beetlejuice, that's exactly what I was going to ask you, is there any backstory for Beetle Juice, well, it's interesting, so let me explain the good thing about

playing

Beetle Juice. beet, you never know that cliche, you never ask the question or say the statement, well my character wouldn't do that, yeah right, which one was it. what a tremendous touch um however in the second which friend I'm telling you is so good oh it's oh great great wow so good Beetle Juice Beetle Juice in the second I'm not going to tell you what it is Tim imposes this idea on me and I admit that I said oh, okay, you know, I don't know good luck with that, so there's kind of a B.

Sorry, I'm laughing because I remember I've seen it, there's kind of a backstory that's kind of a surprise to oh, there's well, oh that's great, it might not be as good as you know, I mean it's good, the first one was good, apparently it was for uh uh, what's his name bobert or whatever his name is Laura? Bobbert, yes, she helped you with a previous promotion, yes, yes, apparently she really enjoyed it, not as much as the guy who appeared with her, yes, he really liked it, yes, um. I remember the first movie you directed. I remember this one.

I remember her very well. It was David Letterman's Christmas film festival and he gave some of his favorite guests a certain amount of money to make a little movie, that was the best idea, it was great. Well, you know, we have a clip from the movie that you made, no, no. Don't we do it now? I think it needs a little configuration. It's um U, the movie was called but I'm happy and it was you

playing

yourself basically well. I'm playing a man. I said what if I remember the settings? I used to make these friends of mine laugh, this guy I used to call a pig and uh, the pig, the pig was just a guy.

I know a guy they also call a pig. Yeah, so he, he, like uh, I don't know. what is this but he thought you know the dough would always be there forever he was good he was spending it and he was going to be good to her during her last days and it was kind of nasty and then it just runs out on him yeah , everything tries, that's the scenario where you play an actor and things run out, yeah, so what are you calling me here to count my money or count my women? Listen Mike, I have bad news for you, you have no money and for the first time since I can remember I am telling the absolute truth, yeah right, that's why I have a mansion, when was the last time you were home?

I don't remember, do you remember your address? Don't know. something that's cool, look at that, how far you've come, the movie is called Knox leaves, opens in theaters on Friday Michael Keaton, we'll all be back with Ramy, y'all