Michael Keaton grateful for ‘lucky times’ in return to iconic role

He prefers working the land, fishing a stream or walking at sunset on his Montana ranch.

Hard work has been a calling card for Keaton since his youth in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve been working since I was 14. I cut lawns for a dollar and a quarter. I shoveled asphalt and worked behind bars,” he says. “I did everything I could to pay my way through acting school. I like to work.

“I will never stop doing what I love.”

There’s plenty to do on Keaton’s 1,000-acre spot in Montana surrounded by crystal clear lakes, aspens and evergreens. But he still loves to work on movie sets, too.

To that end, the star of “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Batman” channels another one of his iconic roles with the sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” opening Sept. 6. He also has the family dramedy “Goodrich” due out this year.

After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return to Winter River in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Still haunted by Beetlejuice (Keaton), Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) sees her life turned upside down when her teen daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife.

The film also stars Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara and Danny DeVito. Tim Burton again directs.

“Tim and I had been talking about it for years,” Keaton says. “Our goal was to make it very much in the spirit of the first one, while visually exciting and interestingly emotional,” Keaton says. “It was the most fun I’ve had on a set in a long time. It looks like fun — and it was fun. Life doesn’t always give you that guarantee. But sometimes it does. Those are lucky times.”

Keaton shares his ranch with a yellow Lab named Amos. The actor’s good life advice:

Know your limits

Keaton went into the sequel requesting the same amount of screen time as in 1988’s “Beetlejuice.” Hard to believe, but his unforgettable character spent only 17 minutes on screen in the original. Keaton says that he knew they would “really screw this thing up if we say, ‘Let’s just have a lot of Beetlejuice.’ … That would get very tiresome in my opinion.”

Conquering fears

Keaton acknowledges that he was a little nervous about revisiting a cult classic such as “Beetlejuice.” “It’s a piece of art,” he says. “There is still nothing quite like it. To try to repeat it felt a little bit intimidating at first. I was nervous but excited at the same time. You need to take your shot and we did. … This has a stronger story, and we come with an audience who has such a connection with the characters.”

All-out effort

Keaton has had an eclectic career, from “Mr. Mom” to “Batman” and then on to serious dramas such as his Oscar-nominated turn in “Birdman.” No matter the subject, he is always all-in. “I was raised with this work ethic that you never phone anything in. I can’t just coast and say, ‘Let’s go have some laughs.’ I take everything I do seriously.”

Crimefighting fit

Keaton had to don the Batman costume again for his role in 2023’s “The Flash.” He calls the experience “crazy, a little emotional and weirdly familiar.” But the good news? “Proud to say I slipped right back into it. I still have the same measurements from back in the day,” he says. “It easily fit, which was nice.” He credits walking, fishing and horseback riding on his ranch for keeping him fit.

‘Just passing through’

“It was a dream of mine since I was a little kid to buy a ranch,” Keaton says. “When I was this little kid, I had a photograph of a Western landscape. Beneath the picture, in tiny letters, was printed the name of the county and state. When I purchased my property, I realized that I was buying a piece of the same landscape. … I know I don’t own this land. I’m a renter. I’m just passing through this land … When you’re from where I grew up, you think someone is playing a trick when you look up in the sky and you see that many stars.”

Don’t be afraid

“There’s nothing I love more than people who try,” he says. “You have to take risks whenever you can. Put yourself on the line. Don’t be afraid to look foolish and make mistakes. Taking those chances might just result in the best thing you will ever do.”

Believe in you

“I’ve always thought a few things: I refuse to go down, and I refuse to give up. I refuse to be negative.’ Those three thoughts have served me well, along with the idea that each one of us has to fight the good fight,” he says.