"Keaton is a national treasure"— Internet praises Michael Keaton for being unapologetic about turning down movies to be a dad

Michael Keaton shared in a People exclusive on September 5 that he turned down multiple roles to spend more time with his son, Sean Douglas, now a songwriter and record producer. Keaton said prioritizing family over work was an easy decision.

He said he could have made a lot more money but didn’t as he declined many roles. According to him, his son would be a kid only for a while, so wanted to be around more. Michael Keaton said:

“You look back, and you go, Zero regret. Zero, zero.”

The choice and decision felt right to him because he always wanted to be a father. His words and thoughts on parenthood made fans sing in praise of him. One Reddit user wrote;

“keaton is a national treasure. so many of his roles are iconic and yet he's so still so down to earth.”

Internet praises Michael Keaton for turning down movies to be a dad (Image via Reddit)

Netizens invoked other actors like Cameron Diaz who have reportedly made similar choices to him. Many highlighted gender roles in parenting.

“Thats so f****n sweet, I do love that a lot of celebs will make their money then peace out to have a family or just chill, Cameron Diaz is my favorite example, I miss her but if I had her money/house you'd never see me again,” a netizen wrote.

“It’s good to hear men talking about the responsibility of parenting. Seems like that’s usually only a question for women,” a person reacted.

“I was just rewatching Spotlight and wondering why Keaton wasn't in more stuff (at least not until his post-Birdman resurgence). Now I know and I feel like he's an even better egg for it,” another Reddit user commented.

Some users wrote about the need for men like Michael Keaton in the industry. It seems internet users found another reason to love the actor.

“What a sweet man!! I wish Hollywood had more men like him and Keanu,” a netizen commented.

“Another reason to love Michael Keaton even more, not only is he an amazing actor but he sounds like an amazing person and father,” an internet user pointed out.

“He made choices that aligned with his goals. Good for him,” an online participant noted.

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Michael Keaton’s ex-wife Caroline McWilliams passed away in 2010

Sean Douglas was born in 1983. His mother Caroline McWilliams was an actress renowned for her role as Marcy Hill in Benson. Keaton and McWilliams separated in 1990. However, she died in 2010 from cancer. In the People interview, the Batman actor said the two of them worked hard to keep Sean grounded but he was a good kid and didn’t need much help.

Michael Keaton further added:

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“I will take credit for being a good father. I will give his mom enormous credit for being a tremendous mom. Great, great, great mom. And that's why he's a good kid.”

The actor believed some people naturally have this particular quality. He acknowledged that although parenting is important, sometimes certain people are just made a particular way. So, he mostly credited Sean for turning out the way he had by saying he was always a sweet and thoughtful guy.

Michael Keaton nowadays spends more time with his son and daughter-in-law Rachel Bartov and their two kids. While talking about his grandson River, he said he takes him to the field and enjoys playing sports. Other than that, they like watching games on TV.