Micheal Keaton Says Jack Nicholson's Joker Made Him "Nervous And Self-Conscious"

Tim Burton's 1989 blockbuster, Batman, is widely regarded as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.

It was the second live action Batman film to hit the big screens, and the first since the release of Batman: The Movie (which starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader) 23 years earlier.

So there was understandably plenty of hype around this movie, and it certainly lived up to those sky-high expectations.

Michael Keaton - who received worldwide fame for his work in Beetlejuice and Night Shift - was cast as Batman/Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson, who was established as one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood long before then, was cast as Joker/Jack Napier.

To say that Batman has aged well would be a massive understatement. Keaton set the golden standard for playing the Batman character, and Nicholson paved the way for future critically-acclaimed Joker portrayals.

Nicholson's performance on set was so strong that it made Keaton "nervous," the latter explained in an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers (h/t Gaius Bolling of JoBlo.com).

"The only thing that happened when I did the first Batman was, I was very nervous and self-conscious about being with Jack, because he's so strong on film, you know, and it ended up just being great," Keaton explained. "We became pals and everything."

The film grossed just over $411.348 million worldwide, and the success of Batman led to three sequels.

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Keaton reprised his role in Batman Returns (1992), also directed by Burton. It starred Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman/Selina Kyle and Danny DeVito as Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot.

Warner Bros. decided to change up the tone of the next film, Batman Forever, aiming to make it more family-friendly. Joel Schumacher replaced Burton as the director, and Keaton turned down $15 to do a third Batman movie. He was replaced by Val Kilmer, who did the one film before stepping down. George Clooney replaced him in the heavily panned Batman & Robin (1997).

Keaton and Nicholson delivered an all-time iconic performance together in Batman, and it's impossible to guess where the franchise would be today without the success of the 1989 blockbuster.

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