Hollywood’s Greatest Batman Wants To Change His Name
After spending decades as an established actor, Michael Keaton is changing his professional name to be closer to his birth name, Michael Douglas. The actor had to create a stage name to adhere to the Screen Actors Guild rules, but he’s now changing his nom de plume. The change will be reflected in his future movies, with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice expected to be his last film using the old name.
His new credits will be as Michael Douglas Keaton, combining his birth name and longtime alias. The change was originally meant to be reflected in the 2023 movie Knox Goes Away, which he directed, but the change happened too late into production to be recognized. Given the name change goes that far back it’s a bit odd that his credit in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still missing the “Douglas.”
I’m Michael Douglas Keaton
With his birth name being Michael Douglas, it’s fairly obvious why the actor had to change his name to Michael Keaton when he became an actor. SAG doesn’t allow for multiple members with identical names, and Michael Douglas was already an established actor by the time Keaton made his acting debut. The name Mike Douglas was also already taken by a classic talk show host, eliminating that as an option.
Changing Birth Names Is Common
Michael Keaton is far from the only actor who had to create a stage name because of SAG’s name rule. Emma Stone, whose birth name is Emily, briefly went by Riley Stone before switching to a first name closer to her birth name. Elizabeth Banks also had to create her stage name because of the rule, as Elizabeth Mitchell was already taken.
The Mundane Origin Of Keaton
The stage name Michael Keaton came from the actor arbitrarily choosing a new surname to go by. While he admitted in an interview with People that he can’t remember exactly where the name comes from, he believes it came from looking through the phonebook for interesting surnames. He described the process as “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.”
A Huge Star For Decades
The actor has had his fair share of hits while working under the name Michael Keaton. Some of his best-known roles came from his collaborations with Tim Burton in the 80s, starring in both Batman and Beetlejuice. He received a Best Actor nomination for his 2014 role in Birdman and has continued to act in blockbusters like Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The Other Michael Douglas
Changing his professional name to Michael Douglas Keaton is a sign of confidence for the actor, proving he’s not worried about being overshadowed by Michael Douglas. Of course, Douglas has also had a long and storied career, including a string of major hits in the 80s and 90s, including Basic Instinct, Wallstreet, and Fatal Attraction. Like Keaton, he’s also remained relevant in modern blockbusters thanks to his role as Hank Pym in the Ant-Man movies.
A Change He Wanted To Make For Years
Between the existence of Michael Douglas and the years of going by Michael Keaton, the name change is sure to cause some confusion. Still, the beloved actor finally getting to put his birth name in the credits is heartwarming to see. He’s certainly earned the privilege, even if it causes a few confused double-takes during the credits of his future movies.
Source: People
