It’s not often that an actor goes from playing one of the most beloved superheroes ever to seemingly leaving the industry — but Michael Keaton did just that. Only a few years after playing Batman a second time in Batman Returns, Keaton turned down many high-profile and lucrative roles (including playing Batman again). In an interview with The Guardian, Keaton explains why material is so much more important to him than money.
In fact, before Keaton re-emerged in his Oscar-nominated role in Birdman there were many who thought Keaton had retired from acting. That wasn’t the case — it was a matter of interest in the creativity of projects. He says, “I do what interests me. Look, it’s not like I don’t think about the business – I am cognizant of that side of things – but if you overthink the money part, you tend to mess it up. I actually thought [Birdman] might not work, but I also thought, even if it doesn’t work, I want to be a part of this kind of creativity. I want to be around this. It’s like making movies with Tim [Burton]. Being around that is so much fun, you just want to be in that environment.”
