Michael Keaton Admits He ‘Sucked’ in ‘Dumbo’

Michael Keaton recently admitted that he felt his performance in Tim Burton’s Dumbo was lacking. The 72-year-old actor portrayed the villainous V.A. Vandevere in the 2019 live-action remake of the classic Disney film. He revealed his disappointment in an interview with The New York Times, saying, “I think I let him down on one movie, but that’s just me, and it bugs me to this day.” He added, “I was clueless on Dumbo. I sucked in Dumbo.”

Tim Burton responded nonchalantly, saying, “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. But whatever.”

Keaton and Burton have reunited for the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel to their 1988 comedy classic. Keaton reprises his role as the titular foul-mouthed ghost, and Burton aimed to evolve the story and universe while keeping the character true to his politically incorrect roots.

In an interview with Collider, Burton shared, “I think Michael and I both love the fact that he was politically incorrect then, and he’s politically incorrect now. I’m just laughing because somebody asked him the other day, ‘Michael, how does Beetlejuice’s character evolve?’ And we just started laughing because he doesn’t evolve — that’s the whole point!”

Keaton, who stars alongside Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe in the sequel, mentioned that the new film would include some “big swings.” However, he noted that the cast and crew had to be “a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more politically correct” this time around.

He explained, “There was a lot of [big swings] in the first one. It was like one gigantic big swing. Less so now because we knew we could get away with more.” He continued, “It’s weird, we had to be a tiny, tiny, tiny bit more politically correct, but we didn’t even think about that too much. A couple of times, we went, ‘Yeah, maybe not,’ and then we went right up to it.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to open in theaters on September 5.

Source: The New York Times, Collider