Michael Keaton Wins 'Best Actor' for Birdman

Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman is pretty meta. The well-received dramedy deals with an actor haunted by the Superhero character he played on the big screen during his glory days.

"Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is mounting an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life into his stagnant career. It’s risky, but he hopes that his creative gamble will prove that he’s a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star. As opening night approaches, a castmate is injured, forcing Riggan to hire an actor (Edward Norton) who is guaranteed to shake things up. Meanwhile, Riggan must deal with his girlfriend, daughter and ex-wife."

Michael Keaton was the obvious choice for this role (if only Brandon Routh had been a little older…) and at the Golden Globes earlier this evening, he was rewarded for being so.

Here’s the video from Keaton’s Best Actor acceptance speech.

Admittedly, pretty good stuff. Keaton’s been making the rounds talking about his time under the cape and cowl while on the press junket for Birdman, and it’s perfect timing. It’s Batman’s 75th anniversary, the 25th of Tim Burton’s Batman and an era of heavy criticism toward the casting of the new cinematic Caped Crusader.

I guess if he was going to ride the wave of a career comeback, this is the time.

Michael Keaton Wins ‘Best Actor’ for Birdman

By Skip Harvey | Jan 11, 2015