As a fan of “Beetlejuice” (1988), Tim Burton’s go-to costume designer Colleen Atwood initially found it daunting to jump into the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” sequel and its kitschy world of crazies (originally designed by Aggie Guerard Rodgers). But having the sartorial freedom to add new characters (Jenna Ortega’s grungy Astrid) and expand the underworld (Monica Bellucci’s Victorian corpse bride Delores) made it a lot more enticing.
However, Atwood had the most fun working with Michael Keaton as the “ghost with the most” in his iconic black-and-white suit, burgundy tux, and a few other surprises. “On my first fitting with Michael, I went to his house, and he had painful knee surgery, so he was really brave to do a fitting,” the four-time Oscar winner (including Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”) told IndieWire.
“We were trying on his clothes, and it was funny because he was kind of like an old guy,” Atwood continued. “And we’re like, ‘Yeah, Beetlejuice is older.’ So we kind of gave him a little bit more stomach and kind of rumpled his jacket a little bit more. So it was a little less stiff and polyester.”
Indeed, for the black-and-white striped suit, Atwood went with an Italian silk fabric that she could age, making Beetlejuice appear more advanced. “So it looked like he’d been grubbing around the underworld for a long time, rather than quite as crisp black-and-white as it had been originally,” she added.
The suit always came off as a hip version of a generic prison uniform, which Atwood found striking “because it’s vertical and the sleeves are horizontal, which is unusual with stripes.” The rest of the outfit — the white shirt, solid black tie, and black leather combat boots — looked like they came from the same men’s warehouse. “So it was more like taking what had come before, just trying to replicate the character more than the clothes,” she said.
As for the burgundy tux, which is Keaton’s favorite outfit for its cheesy look, Atwood kept the same style with a poly-wool fabric along with a similar shirt. “You know, a rented tux kind of thing,” she added. “But we had to make like 12 of them because it took us a few days to shoot the wedding sequence [set to the long, psychedelic pop hit ‘MacArthur Park,’ sung by Richard Harris]. That whole sequence was a crack-up to him, and it was fun to shoot with everybody doing their bits in the room.”
Atwood also got to fit Keaton in some new outfits. He plays a customs guy in an old-time uniform, cap, and jacket; a matador in a seedy black uniform with a traditional cape; and a psychiatrist in a tan cardigan sweater, necktie, and khaki pants.
“He loved that outfit ’cause it was so not what Michael Keaton would ever wear in his entire life,” added Atwood. “It’s like the frumpiest version of an old guy, just the dullest colors. There was nothing flamboyant about it, which was very opposite to what Beetlejuice normally wears.”
