Michael Keaton's 'gut' made him sign ‘Beetlejuice’ after thinking 'it was bad’

Michael Keaton recalls almost making the biggest pass in his life saying no to Beetlejuice, but luckily the actor changed his mind.

“I used to be known as ‘Dr. No’ because I've turned down a lot of roles. Not out of arrogance, just for whatever reason,” Keaton told People in the magazine’s latest cover story.

He shed light on how he almost said no to Tim Burton too.

“Somebody said, ‘Do you want to meet this guy? He made this movie, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and stuff,’ ” Keaton recalled. “And I'd seen a little bit. I didn't ever even watch the whole movie, I don't think. And I said, ‘Sure.’ ”

“I just didn't know what he was talking about,” the star said of the director who came to him with Beetlejuice.

“I'm not being sarcastic,” he continues. “I didn't understand what he was talking about. So I'd say, ‘Wait a minute, but who is he? What is it?’ ”

As Keaton remembers, the briefing went “pleasant”, he agreed for another, despite him being nervous of the role.

“I just said, ‘I don't know what it is, and he'd probably be better off getting someone else because I don't get it.’ Not like, ‘I don't get it. I thought it was bad.’ I literally didn't know what it was,” Keaton told the outlet.

But then, the actor had a gut feeling about Burton.

“My gut said, ‘This guy is something. For sure, something.’ Plus, I just liked him. I liked him as a person. I got along with him, and he seemed like my kind of eccentric artist.”