The Big Picture

Keaton and Kunis team up as father and daughter in the emotional drama
Goodrich
, helmed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer.
Kunis reveals
Goodrich
was a dream project, and discusses working with Keaton and the well-written script.
Keaton reflects on the
Beetlejuice
sequel’s success and fond memories of John Hughes and
Mr. Mom
.

Coming fresh off of an incredible win with Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice, Beetlejuice, American treasure Michael Keaton returns to the big screen sans striped suit. Now, he teams up with audience-beloved performer Mila Kunis in a meaningful, family-centered drama, Goodrich. Keaton and Kunis team up as estranged father and daughter for a new dramatic-comedy from one of the next huge writer-directors.

From Hallie Meyers-Shyer comes the full-hearted character piece Goodrich. Keaton plays Andy Goodrich, a workaholic whose life is turned upside down when his wife enters a rehab program. While she’s away, Andy is left caring for his young children alone. Soon, he finds himself leaning on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace (Kunis), as she watches him turn into the father she never had.

During this interview, Kunis and Keaton talk with Collider’s own Steve Weintraub to pore over Goodrich. Together, they ran the gamut, discussing Family Guy, Beetlejuice, Mr. Mom, and so many other beloved properties. They also spoke kindly about their childhood upbringing and how they used those memories and feelings to perform in their new film. You can watch the full conversation in the video above or read the transcript below.

How Much Did Mila Kunis Pay To Work With Michael Keaton?
Image via Ketchup Entertainment

COLLIDER: I really wanna start with the first thing: thank you for your work. I’ve enjoyed both of your work for a very long time, and thank you for doing what you do.

MICHAEL KEATON: Thanks! That’s a nice compliment.

Mila, I’m gonna start with you and it’s probably the most important thing. So, you find out about this project, you find out Michael Keaton is gonna be in it. I’m just curious, what does it actually cost to work with him? What did you pay?

MILA KUNIS: I know, right? No, I hear you, and trust me…

KEATON: It’s a hefty fee.

KUNIS: It’s a discounted rate. It’s fine. It’s at like a Goodwill. No! It is a dream. Everything about this job was an absolute dream. I would have paid.

Yeah, that’s why I asked what you paid.

KUNIS: I washed his car. I shined his shoes. Sometimes I give him little haircuts, just little buzz cuts once in a while.

KEATON: She gave me tickets. Tickets to things because she’s connected to everybody.

KUNIS: Yeah, lots of tickets. Parking mostly.

Mila Kunis Has Been On ‘Family Guy’ For Over Half of Her Life
Image via 20th Century Fox 

I’m so amazed Family Guy is still on the air. First of all, the show is fantastic and I’ve been a fan forever. But you started working on that show when you were 16.

KUNIS: 15!

KEATON: Holy moly!

KUNIS: I wasn’t driving yet.

You’ve been working on this for more than half your life. What is it like to be part of a show that has been this successful for so long?

KUNIS: What is it? 26 years?

Yeah, it’s crazy.

KUNIS: There are no words. Keep in mind though, the show was canceled twice. It is very much like The Little Train That Could. It is the greatest gift. I do text [Seth] MacFarlane every year or two years, whenever our contracts are renegotiated, and I’m like, “Please, let’s just please renegotiate.”

KEATON: Wow.

KUNIS: I’m so in. Let’s not poke the bear. Let’s just do this. I love my gig. I love it. I love that people still watch it. I love that it’s still relevant. I love the fact that the writers are still able to create new and exciting storylines, and people find it funny, more importantly.

Related Mila Kunis and Michael Keaton Show Off Their Heartfelt Bond in ‘Goodrich’ Trailer The movie’s star-studded ensemble includes Carmen Ejogo, Andie MacDowell, Michael Urie, and more.

KEATON: That’s pretty impressive. That’s amazing. Wait, when it got canceled–

KUNIS: Twice.

KEATON: What did they do? Go to another network?

KUNIS: No, it just got canceled. Then it got brought back up because of fans.

KEATON: That’s fantastic.

KUNIS: Credit to fans. By the way, I only found out I got picked up the second time — this is now 15 years ago; I don’t know what the time is — because I was watching the news. The news ticker was like: Family Guy brought back from cancellation. I was like, “I wonder if I’m back.” I honestly sat there going, “Huh?” I’m looking at my phone, and my phone didn’t ring, so I was like, “I wonder what’s gonna happen!”

KEATON: And you’d have done it. Well, it’s so nice to hear somebody likes something so much because a lot of times you hear, “Oh God, I’m so over those years. I just couldn’t wait.” That woulda been me, by the way.

KUNIS: Not on this gig. Keep in mind Family Guy works like this for me: one Thursday out of the month for, maximum, maybe two hours.

KEATON: That’s so funny.

KUNIS: It’s funny, and I record in my house; I have a booth at home. So, it’s the greatest gig on the planet.

Image via Fox 

KEATON: Can I use the booth? Because I don’t have a booth.

KUNIS: You can come to the house. Yes. Use my little recording booth.

KEATON: You should rent it out.

KUNIS: To you. You can have it free of charge.

KEATON: To anybody! That’s a little side money. Like one day you look outside, and you see, like, Anthony Hopkins or something.

KUNIS: [Laughs] It’s like a side gig. “Come in, guys! Come in through the art room.”

KEATON: You run into somebody, and you go, “What are you doing?” “I’m doing voiceover.” “Wait, are you doing at Kunis’ house?” You go, “Yeah, me too. I gotta be there next week for–”

KUNIS: [Laughs] Okay, it’s happening.

Michael Keaton Knew a ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Would Work
“You hit a single at worst.”
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Michael, this question is for you. You really never know nowadays how movies are going to do at the box office. Things that I thought were gonna be hugely successful didn’t perform. Then there are huge surprises. What does it mean to you that the sequel to Beetlejuice now has crossed $400 million globally?

KEATON: A lot. [Laughs] A whole lot for a lot of different reasons. For a lot of somewhat obvious reasons. I knew it would do well. There’s no way I knew it would do this well. But for years, I never understood, just from a cold-hearted business point of view, why they wouldn’t pull the trigger on what I would say was about the only thing I would wanna do again is that movie. I made a push for it for a few years there. Then I would have years where I didn’t think about it at all, or I’d say, “Yeah, I think we missed it, so let’s just not worry about it anymore.” But I always knew. I think the only reason you know some of this stuff is you’ll be out, and somebody will say something like this gentleman here just said, “Man, Family Guy!” You know what’s out there.

KUNIS: Sure. People kept going up to you, and they’re like, “Oh, Beetlejuice!”

KEATON: “It’s my favorite thing!” Plus, I loved it and I knew it was unique. I knew it was unusual. So, I always thought at worst — at worst — you have a strong opening. Film it in the studio, take the money, put it in the bank, and move on to the next thing. You hit a single at worst. So, no, I wasn’t surprised by that, but did I expect this? No. But it’s fun! Also, I love just that it’s out there again.

Which Characters Would Mila Kunis and Michael Keaton Play Again?
“Everybody on that movie was nobody. We were just having fun.”
Image via Universal Pictures

Both of you have done such cool roles throughout your careers. If you could go back in time and do one more day on the set of something, w hat would you do and why?

KUNIS: I have two answers. It’s hard to say. I was on a show with my husband for 7–8 years way before he and I were anything. There’s a part of me that’s like, “I wonder if I ever went back to that moment if I would look at him differently. I wonder if I would look at him in a different light. I don’t know.” Are you saying to go back in time, or as today, I guess is my question? Let me clarify: If it’s as today, then I have a different answer. But if I go back in time, I have a different answer.

I hadn’t thought of it like that!

KEATON: I like her. She’s a thinker. She’s got me thinking! I’m going, “Yeah, that is different. That’s really different.”

KUNIS: It’s a different answer. To go back in time, I would do one more day on [That 70s Show].

KEATON: Now, at this time?

KUNIS: No, if I can go back in time. If I can go back in time, I’d wanna see if I see him like, “How did we miss this?”

KEATON: Or what if you go back and go, “I made a huge mistake!”?

Image via Fox

KUNIS: [Laughs] Exactly! “I messed this one up.” No, that would be if I could go back in time. If I don’t go back in time, today, one of my greatest favorite memories of ever working on a project — aside from Goodrich, which I truly, genuinely love — is Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Everybody on that movie was nobody. We were just having fun. No one knew what was gonna happen out of it. It was a Judd Apatow R-rated comedy. We’re like, “Look at this. We’re on a beach having fun!” I would go back to that just to be as simple and free as that moment.

KEATON: I hate these kinds of questions because I never have a good answer. I mean, I’d go do Beetlejuice every day in my life. If somebody said, “You get to do one day a year back there,” I’d go, “Sure, why not?” I like being in Tim’s world, you know? Everybody I know who’s ever worked in that world really, really likes it. I’d say just about everyone.

Thank you for indulging me!

What Attracted Michael Keaton and Mila Kunis to ‘Goodrich’?

Scripts like [Goodrich ] do not come along all the time. Hollywood used to make movies like this all the time and now they’re hard to get off the ground. I’m assuming this is something that drew you both in for this project. Could you talk about what it was about this script and project that said, “Oh, I need to do this?”

KEATON: It was just well-written. Basically, it’s that simple. It’s just well-written, and [Hallie Meyers-Shyer’s] pedigree is strong. But forget her pedigree, she herself is really a good writer and a good director. You think you read tons of good stuff, but you don’t because — I’m not being critical — the odds are not huge that the script you’re gonna read that week is gonna be really good. Also, to be honest, that it was gonna be shot in Los Angeles was big for me. I like how Los Angeles plays a role. Anyway, you’re right. Movies like this don’t get made very often. Her mom used to make the great ones, Hallie’s mom, [Nancy Meyers].

KUNIS: Yeah, same. All of the above. Working with Michael, working with Hallie. I don’t work while my kids are in school unless it’s shot in LA. So for me, my timing and scheduling is very limited. So yes, shooting in LA with Michael and Hallie was a no-brainer. I honestly think I went, “I’ll do it,” and then my agent went, “You should probably read the script.” I went, “Meh! That’s all right. What am I gonna dislike about it?”

KEATON: That’s awesome. [Laughs]

KUNIS: Like, “What am I gonna dislike? There’s nothing.” And he was like, “You should read it.” I went, “Okay, I’ll read it.” So I read it, and I was like, “I love it even more!” But it was a combo of all the things. I agree with you. I hate when people say “small stories” because I don’t think it’s a small story. I actually think it’s a really big, rich, beautiful, vibrant story. It just doesn’t have cars blowing up in the background. I think it’s important, and it’s fun to be able to have dialogue and conversations that feel like banter. They go back and forth. I loved everything about it.

The other thing is when something is shooting in LA, which is so infrequent now, all the supporting characters are elevated because everyone lives here. A lot of people live here.

KUNIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah!

KEATON: I feel badly about the industry not shooting here more. A lot of people are out of work.

KUNIS: It’s a problem.

KEATON: I really hope it comes back here.

I know so many people who do crew that are struggling because everything has left.

‘Goodrich’ Has No Villains, Just Humans
Image via Ketchup Entertainment

Michael, one of the things that I really enjoyed about this script was that your character is just a good person that works too much. I kept wondering, is this gonna show the flaw? Can you talk about how it’s an honest portrayal of someone who’s just a good person?

KEATON: That’s an interesting observation. You’re right. It is, and in a lot of ways — not to get too actor-y on you — that makes it harder. You know what I mean?

KUNIS: Yeah! No true villain. There’s no one bad thing they do.

KEATON: Yeah, you go, “He was that guy, then he became that guy.” Because you’re right. Now, he’s human. So he was selfish at various times of his life. You can’t run away from that. He was not this evil person, which made it even more complicated because that’s the situation with a lot of people.

I’ve watched her be a mom through the day while she’s at work. She’s at work, and then she’s talking about the family. She and I were just talking about her and Ashton [Kutcher] and what they have to do right now to get back for their kid’s game. She is one of those people. I am one of one of those people. Everybody out there is one of us, people who try to pull all this together. It’s even harder now for people. Much, much harder.

KUNIS: Now, I feel like it’s a luxury. I mean, maybe it was always a luxury to be able to spend time with your family and your kids. Now I find it to be even a greater luxury. I really do. My parents are still together — they’re at 50 years — and when we immigrated over, from seven to 15, I never saw my parents because they worked so much. They worked just to put food on the table, just to pay the bills and things. I never had any resentment toward them for that. I always admired them for their ability to be so selfless in that regard. I know when they look back, they feel like they missed out on a very large chunk of my youth. They were like, “I never knew you did that,” and I was like, “Well, yeah, because you were at multiple jobs.” I never wanted to burden them with that or whatever. I always feel like it’s always a tug of war. You ultimately have a little bit of resentment for doing the best you can.

Yeah, one of the reasons why I related to the film is I think everyone can relate to having family members that work. It’s impossible. Life is impossible. I’ll say it like that.

Talking John Hughes With ‘Mr. Mom’ Himself
“He was not without a strong sense of himself, but I liked him.”
Image via 20th Century Pictures

When I was watching this, Michael, I had some flashbacks to Mr. Mom — you with young kids. A lot of people don’t realize John Hughes wrote Mr. Mom . When you were filming [ Goodrich ], did you have any flashbacks? Because that was a big role for you, and it’s a little similar with you raising kids.

KEATON: Yeah, there are a few scenes here and there that are definitely similar. Obviously, I did the scenes with the kids. 99% of movie fans, I would guess, don’t know that was John Hughes’ first movie, really.

KUNIS: Yeah, I didn’t know that. I’m gonna tell you right now, until you just said it, “It was John Hughes’ movie,” I did not know that.

KEATON: I had a meeting with him. She’ll tell you this: when you get a comedy, people think, in movies they’ve seen, they go, “Oh my god, that script must have been so funny.” They are, but if you get a comedy script, and if there are three big laughs where you involuntarily laugh out loud, you’re onto something. That doesn’t sound like a lot, three, because they’re really hard, and you may be smiling, right? And I remember hitting my head reading in bed. I had a house out in the Valley, and I was reading, the scene came up, and a huge thud. Boom! I hit my head on the back of the back of the wall, and I said, “I know there’s something in here.” I would have never thought I was gonna do a movie like that. I went, “Oh, yeah, this is pretty good.” So I had a meeting with him in the Palm, I think. Remember The Palm in Santa Monica?

KUNIS: Aw, I love the Palm!

Related The 10 Best Movies Written by John Hughes, Ranked While John Hughes is a great director, he’s also a great writer.

KEATON: I talked to him, and he talked a lot. It was mostly him doing the talking because he was not without a strong sense of himself. But I liked him. He’s talking, talking, talking, and I said to him, “You never directed a movie, right?” He was in advertising, and I think he was a writer and director. I said, “You should direct this movie, you know how to make this movie.” He goes, “No, I can’t ever make this movie.” And he went on to become an iconic comedy guy. I love that little movie. I talk about that movie a lot of times. I bring it up, actually, because it was kind of considered “lightweight.” It actually isn’t. This sounds stupid now, maybe, but a man taking the role of a traditionally woman’s role…

KUNIS: It was like, “Wow, that’s so crazy. It’s so wacky. Look at this guy being a–!” Yeah.

KEATON: Meanwhile, there were a lot of guys who were doing that who never got any credit. My dad had to get up — we had seven kids — and there were certain mornings, my mom couldn’t get us all ready. He’d help out. On Sundays, he was the guy who cooked breakfast, and he had to work two jobs. But, I loved the note, the idea of it, and I also saw the comedic possibilities in it.

By the way, if you go back and look, a lot of those scenes you see weren’t in the script, even though it was Hughes. There were improvements, let’s say, that had to be made and we were writing all the time. One of the reasons was the director was a good director. He wasn’t a comedy guy, really, so we were constantly adjusting, let’s say.

Thank you for that story and for sharing. Again, thank you both for your work.

Goodrich is now playing in theaters.

Andy Goodrich’s life is upended when his wife enters a rehab program, leaving him on his own with their young kids. Goodrich leans on his daughter from his first marriage, Grace, as he ultimately evolves into the father Grace never had.Director Hallie Meyers-Shyer Runtime 111 Minutes Writers Hallie Meyers-Shyer

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