Interested in Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Faq: Ages, Filming Dates, and Cast Facts, here is essential context worth reading.

Keaton’s age was practically invisible on screen thanks to radical prosthetics and styling. Makeup designer Ve Neill, working alongside Steve LaPorte and Robert Short, constructed a look designed to resemble organic rot rather than standard movie vampirism.

The daily transformation required over two hours in the makeup chair. Artists coated Keaton’s skin in pale greasepaint, layered faux moss and mold onto his face using theatrical adhesives, and added blackened decay around his mouth and teeth. Keaton insisted on wild, unwashed synthetic hair and oversized thrifted suits to complete the sleazy carnivalesque persona.

Burton initially struggled to explain the character to Keaton during their early meetings. The concept clicked only when Keaton began experimenting with physical quirks, raspy vocal deliveries, and rapid-fire ad-libs. The resulting look won the 1989 Academy Award for Best Makeup, cementing the character's signature visual silhouette.