To millions of moviegoers, Michael Keaton is Beetlejuice, Batman or maybe even Mr. Mom — the title characters in many of his hit movies.

But in certain Hollywood circles, he’s been called a different name. “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,” says the Pennsylvania native, who turns 73 on Sept. 5.

Listening to his gut has served Keaton well over the past five decades as he’s built a formidable and varied career that includes comedy (like 1982’s Night Shift), action (1989’s Batman) and drama (the 2015 Best Picture Oscar winner Spotlight).

While the projects may differ, he brings that distinctive Keaton quality to each of his roles. “He’s got an interesting creative nervous energy,” says Tim Burton, who has directed him in five films. “There’s something slightly crazy in his eyes.”

That’s certainly the case for Keaton in the bonkers 1988 horror-comedy Beetlejuice — starring the actor as the titular bawdy, belching demon — and its follow-up, the highly anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

But the role that helped make him a household name is one he nearly passed up because he had no idea what to make of the character after meeting with director Burton.

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

As Burton explained the character, “I just didn’t know what he was talking about,” says Keaton.

Michael Keaton on the cover of PEOPLE.

“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?’ ”

The meeting, recalls Keaton, was “pleasant,” so he agreed to take another one even though he was unsure he was right for 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,” says Keaton.

But something about Burton struck Keaton, who ultimately took a chance and signed on. “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.”

Michael Keaton reprises his role as Beetlejuice in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.’.Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Not long after Keaton connected with Burton, he felt similar good vibes from Jack Nicholson, his costar in Batman (the second Keaton-Burton collaboration).

“I just really liked him,” says Keaton, who still keeps in touch with the three-time Oscar winner. “He’s really, really intelligent. Really. A real reader. Just has an innate intelligence, and then a self-taught intelligence. … Because he devours books. Always something to talk about. Very opinionated about things when you’re in a conversation.”

Befriending the legendary party boy had its perks. “He took me to Paris in a jet,” recalls Keaton. “I was like a Boy Scout. I was ready to go out like a normal person. Jack didn’t get out of his room until like 10 p.m. or 10:30.”

Michael Keaton on Aug. 16 in New York City.Eric Ray Davidson

They wound up at the exclusive Les Bains Douches nightclub. “Jack was having a ball. He had the biggest grin on his face,” recalls Keaton, who headed back to the hotel ahead of his host. He remembers thinking, “‘This is fun, but it’s kind of wasted on me.’ ”

These days, Keaton, who won an Emmy in 2022 for his performance as a doctor at the center of the opioid crisis in the Hulu limited series Dopesick, still embraces a quieter life. He spends much of his time in Montana, where he’s lived part-time on his 1,000-acre property for 30 years.

It’s there, in his happy place, that he treasures time with his son, Grammy-winning songwriter Sean Douglas, 41, and grandkids River, 8, and Maggie 5.

Work is nice — and there’s plenty of it — but being in Big Sky Country with those closest to him is better. Says Keaton, “I love hanging around my family.”

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters Sept. 6.

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