Michael Keaton thinks his younger self was "crazy" to move to Hollywood.
The ‘Birdman’ star – who worked as a cameraman at Pittsburgh television station WQED before landing minor roles and deciding to relocate to California – is proud of himself for finding the courage to make the move with less than $300 to his name and nowhere to live.
When asked how he found the courage to move to Hollywood, he said: "No f**king idea. When I look back at it now … first of all, I pat myself on the back for doing it. But the other part of me is like, ‘What was he thinking? He’s so crazy.’ I can’t remember the exact amount of money I had, but I know it was under $300 that I’d saved. Almost all of it was gone once I bought an airline ticket."
The 63-year-old actor had originally planned to move to New York before he was advised to try his luck on the west coast as there were more acting opportunities.
He explained: "One guy who was already making a living as a comedy writer – I was moving to New York – and he said to me, ‘You should come and try LA out. It’s wide open.’ "
Michael – who was recently nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe for his role in ‘Birdman’ – had a rocky start to his career and admitted to trying out "a zillion jobs" after dropping out of college before making a name for himself in movies.
He told Prestige Hong Kong magazine: "I dropped out to make money, then went back and then dropped out to make money again because I couldn’t afford my tuition. I dropped out to get a job. I was working for a survey crew. Work on the roads with road crews. I had a zillion jobs. I shovelled asphalt off the back of a truck, drove a cab. I did a ton of stuff. My brother gave me a little part-time job selling building materials on construction sites, so I did that."
Michael Keaton was speaking to Joe Yogerst at Prestige Hong Kong magazine.
Michael Keaton felt ‘crazy’ moving to Hollywood
