(WJW) – Michael Keaton won’t be going by that name anymore.
Keaton, whose credits date back to the 1970s, will instead be using a combination of his real name, Michael John Douglas, and his stage name, Michael Keaton, he told People.
The actor told the outlet he intends to go by Michael Keaton Douglas on future projects.
According to Keaton, he was unable to use his real name, Michael Douglas, when he started acting in the 1970s because of the other Academy Award-winning actor of the same name.
A Screen Actors Guild rule prohibits members from using another member’s professional name.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 30: Michael Keaton attends the photocall for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” at One Marylebone on August 30, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) -
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Michael Keaton speaks at Time Burton’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star ceremony on September 03, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – SEPTEMBER 20: All’s Fair (CBS television situation comedy series). Series premiered September 20, 1976. Pictured is Michael Keaton (as Lanny Wolf). (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – SEPTEMBER 15: Pictured is actor, Michael Keaton (as Mike O’Rourke) in the CBS television comedy, WORKING STIFFS. September 15, 1979. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
The actor, however, is still credited as Michael Keaton in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” in which he reprises his iconic “Beetlejuice” role, according to People.
Keaton also said he intended to use the new name for his 2023 film “Knox Goes Away,” but simply “forgot” to give enough advance warning to the movie’s crew.
So where did “Keaton” come from in the first place?
He told People he may have picked it from a phone book, though he can’t be sure.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which also brings back original cast members Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, arrives in theaters on Friday.