In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Keaton shared that he could have been part of one of the greatest TV shows ever. Giant Freakin Robot ruminated about the career choice and gave the ‘what if?’ scenario.
While these professional steps that Keaton took has indeed affected the track of his career, it’s also insightful to note what the interview revealed of the actor even more.
Younger audiences know Keaton as the Vulture, Adrian Toomes, in Marvel Studios’ MCU and Sony’s Marvel Universe. The character debuted in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and then in Sony’s Morbius. But a good number of audiences around the world know of his calibre in acting and even more note of his capacity to be a superhero.
Looking at the projects he has under his Hollywood belt, one cannot say that the actor had a genre or character profile preference. In fact, he has demonstrated his ability to take on a wide array, if not all, genres.
His works under the renowned director Tim Burton, Beetlejuice, Batman, and Batman Returns still solidly place him on the list of actors who know and continue to work on what they are doing.
And that was over a decade before Birdman, in which he portrayed Riggan and got his first Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2015.
Michael Keaton Chose Family Over One Of The Greatest TV Shows Ever
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While projects steadily came his way over the years, the actor did mention that there was a time when offers did not come as frequently. He shared:
…not a whole lot of folks knocking on my door. I never really took it personally. Maybe sometimes my feelings were hurt.
Apparently, it was during these times when he got offered Jack Shepard in Lost but took a step back as the plans for the character changed. It eventually landed with Matthew Fox and proceeded to rake in high viewership ratings from 2004 to 2010. However, Keaton maintained he focused on what he had. He said:
I had a life.
He refers to the time he was happy to be more present for his son, particularly as the child was still in his younger years. This is among the main reasons why he wasn’t interested in committing to a project that would require him to be more available for a long period of time. It meant he’d be away from his son.
During that time, while he opted to move away from J.J. Abrams’ Lost, the actor admitted that things weren’t favourable as he’d like them to be. But then, it was a time that gave him focus. He said:
I started getting really, really locked in and narrowing the focus and narrowing the energy and narrowing the vision and honing it and really thinking about what I wanted to do.
Michael Keaton Picks Challenging Projects Over TV’s Lost
Credit: Disney
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And not long after that, he got his opportunity to be filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu’s Riggan. Now, he still maintains the choice to taking on the next project.
Despite the actor’s top skill in dramatic and challenging roles, he also leaves room for general and younger audiences. He has taken on voicing characters in animated features such as Binky Nelson Unpacified, Cars, and Toy Story.
He may have opted to pass on one of the top television series, but he does his path at his own pace. Through it, he is able to deliver projects that open audiences from a broader range of genres and ratings. And not a lot of actors in Hollywood today can say the same.
Michael Keaton soon reprises his role of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in DC Studios’ The Flash. Afterwards, moviegoers will get to see him again as Andy Goodrich in Goodrich, which is currently in pre-production. But before that, he becomes John Knox in Knox Goes Away, currently in post-production.
What do you think of the actor’s choice in projects? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
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