Michael Keaton: I don’t want people to get bored with me

As I sat before him inside a suite of Century Plaza Hotel & Spa in Los Angeles, converted into a mini TV studio for the round of TV interviews during the press junket for his latest movie, Disney Pictures’ Herbie: Fully Loaded (now showing in Metro Manila theaters, with Lindsay Lohan as lead star), I half-expected Michael Keaton to stand up, turn around and, voila, become Batman before my very eyes. I was a bit disappointed when he didn’t do that.

That’s my best memory of him: as Batman, the Caped Crusader he portrayed twice more than a decade ago, in Batman and Batman Returns. I did watch him in many others films – Beetlejuice (also directed by Tim Burton like the Batman flicks), First Daughter (as the President of the United States) and in the HBO movie Live From Baghdad, based on a true story of the CNN crew who reported from Baghdad during the Gulf War and for which he received a Golden Globe nonimation – but he’ll always be, like George Clooney, Batman to me.

And now in Herbie, Keaton is playing retired illustrious NASCAR driver Ray Peyton, the father of Linday’s character Maggie Peyton. I can’t quite connect this father role to the Caped Crusader but I enjoyed watching Keaton anyway.

During this Conversation, Keaton looked just like all his screen characters. When he talked, he looked at you straight in the eye, spicing up his every sentence with humor. Here are excerpts from that rambling Conversation:

How was it doing a movie like Herbie: Fully Loaded?

"It’s fun!"

I presume that you’ve seen the first Herbie movie...

"I haven’t. But it’s one of those things that, you know...you kind of know what the movie is all about. Every time I would tell someone that I was working on the new Herbie film, they would go crazy. There’s something about Herbie that people really love and respond to, so that made me really interested. Then, when I read the script, I found that the film was very well written, had a great empowerment story for young women and had a really unique charm to it."

How was it working with the new breed of stars... Well, with Lindsay?

"Interesting. She’s a talented girl. I really loved watching her work because she has this kind of inner compass you can see in action. She knows where to take a scene in terms of emotional level. She’s got great instincts and she’s very true to them."

Do you like fast cars?

"Oh yes, I like fast cars!"

What kind of car are you’re driving?

"I have a Porsche, a pick-up truck and some old cars."

Do you drive fast?

"No, I don’t. I drive within the legal speed limit. But I do enjoy driving a lot, actually. You can run out of gas when you drive fast and that’s very embarrassing."

Among the roles you’ve played, which one comes close to the real Michael Keaton?

"Oh, good question! Ahhh...I don’t know...Let me see...You know what, I just did this movie called Game Six; it’s well done. I can’t discuss the role lengthily but, weirdly, there’s a lot of me in it. I can’t quite explain it even if I don’t live like he does. Maybe you’ll know what I mean when you watch the movie."

Are you just as driven before the camera as you are behind the wheel?

"Right now, I am driven. When the work is good, I love it! I’m working with two writers on a new project. I just finished work in a little independent film. In August, I’m starting another film. I’m in the mood to work again and I like that. But I don’t know how long it will last. I just think there’s a lot of things in life to do. I’m not just an actor. There are so many other interests. But I’ll tell you, though. I don’t like the idea of being out there all the time. I always think people would get bored of me very quickly and I wouldn’t blame them."

I don’t think we would get bored watching a fine actor like you.

"You know, I always say ‘I’ll do one movie every three years so people won’t say...Oh, here he is again; it’s him again; I’m so sick of him!... I don’t want people to say that about me. You know what, I want people to see the actor and the character and not the star."

What makes you do a movie?

"A good script."

What can you say about the new Batman film?

"It took them 10 years to kind of figure it out and I think it’s pretty interesting. I expect it to be good because it has a great cast (with Christian Bale in the title role) and a great director (Christopher Nolan). And tens of millions of dollars to make it. It should be good!"

How do you keep in shape?

"You know what, I’ve been in better shape but I’m okay right now. I run a lot and ride my bike, I hike. There’s a lot of food that I’m not interested in eating anymore. I like to take tons of vitamins."

How do you relax?

"I meditate. I don’t drink like I used to. I take care of my horses and it requires a lot of energy. I like being around horses. I have 10 horses. No, only nine. Or I go fishing. I do that when I’m in Argentina or in Chile."

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