The once-prolific actor withdrew from Tinseltown after losing his passion for filmmaking – and admits he was too picky about the sporadic roles he did accept, blaming himself for passing on a string of box office blockbusters.
Keaton was said to have turned down a massive $30 million (£20 million) to star in a follow-up to his two successful superhero movies, Batman and Batman Returns.
He says, “One reason is I got bored. I felt I was repeating myself and wasn’t having a lot of fun doing what I used to have fun doing. So I was always selective to a fault and not doing things which maybe I should have done.”
Keaton also had another motivating factor for shunning Hollywood at his peak – he was bringing up his young son Sean.
He adds, “I was raising a child full time, sharing the responsibility with his mom. He lived with me half the time so I chose not to go away and make certain movies.”
