Michael Keaton returned to “Saturday Night Live” this week, marking his fourth time hosting at Studio 8H after first appearing on the show in 1982. “Man, I’m excited to be back here hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ fiftieth season,” he said before reminiscing on where his profession stood when the show first premiered.
“I used to be a PA on ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ he said. “And within the ’70s, you recognize, ‘SNL’ and ‘Mister Rogers’ have loads more similarities than you’ll think. A lot of puppets. Tons of cocaine” — though Keaton then praised Fred Rogers as “all the things you’d think he was.”
Keaton then touched on “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the recently released film that saw him reprise his role from 1988’s “Beetlejuice.”
“You understand with Halloween coming up, I do know I’m going to see numerous those little kids on the market dressed as Beetlejuice, which is lovely,” he said. The star then joked that adults often use his iconic character as a dressing up, too: “Often guys of their 40s, which is … less lovely.”
Mikey Day then appeared in a Beetlejuice costume of his own, complete with green hair and a striped suit. “Look, can I call you Mike?” Day said to Keaton. “I like ‘Beetlejuice,’ it’s my favorite. Are you able to do me a favor and say, ‘It’s showtime?’” — a reference to a famous line from the film.
“To be honest, I don’t even remember how I said it,” said Keaton, before Andy Samberg appeared, also dressed as Beetlejuice.
“Well, uh, I do,” Samberg said. “Mike, here’s the thing,” said Samberg, “I used to work here. And through my storied tenure, I attempted and failed again and again to get my BJ into the show.”
“Please don’t say BJ, just called him Beetlejuice,” Keaton said. Nodding to the premise of the film, Samberg cried out, “Don’t say the name! 3 times and I’m gone.”
Catching sight of solid member Sarah Sherman, Keaton said, “I see Sherman lurking within the wings … we don’t have time for an additional Beetlejuice. But Sherman, wearing a striped dress, assured him, saying, “Oh no, thanks a lot. That is just how I dress.”
“You guys are quoting numerous lines from the primary movie,” Keaton identified. “Did you see the second?”
“Not yet, it’s on the list,” Day, Samberg and Sherman said before encouraging Keaton to “do the voice.” He conceded, and as Beetlejuice, called out, “We got an ideal show for you tonight!” and shouted out Billie Eilish because the show’s musical guest.