It's been said the entertainment business changes people - often for the worse, depending on perspective.
So it may come as a shock to some to find out how close this year's Governor's Awards for the Arts' Distinguished Arts Award winner still is to his roots as a Pennsylvanian.
Actor Michael Keaton, a native of the Pittsburgh area, hasn't let his long career in Hollywood stop him from keeping Pennsylvania in his heart.
"I do like to get back there," Keaton said in a telephone interview with the Sun-Gazette. "I'm a proud Pennsylvanian."
Between friends, family and his favorite teams - the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins - Keaton finds plenty of reason to return to the Keystone State.
The Distinguished Arts Award is focused on people such as Keaton, as it recognizes a Pennsylvania artist of international fame, leadership or renown whose creations or contributions enrich the state. Keaton joins an impressive list of previous winners, including Fred Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, Patti LaBelle and M. Night Shyamalan. It is a list that, Keaton said, is an honor to be on.
"I think an interesting thing about Michael Keaton is that he has a connection with a past Governor's Arts Awards winner," said Heather Doughty, deputy director for communications for the Council on the Arts. "The start of his career was on 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood,' and Mr. Rogers was one of the first winners."
The process of selecting recipients is a rigorous one that begins with the Council on the Arts. From about 100 nominations, the council narrows it down to two or three nominees for each category. From there, the governor and first lady of Pennsylvania make the final decision. Other nominees for this year's Distinguished Arts Award were Bobby McFerrin and George Benson.
Keaton spent a lot of time driving from the Pittsburgh area to New York to audition for various roles. On a whim, he took up an offer from a friend and drove to Los Angeles, a decision that eventually led to a career spanning decades and involving iconic roles such as Batman and Beetlejuice. Though, he feels being able to pick up and move across the country for a career in entertainment today would be a daunting task.
"It's hard," he said. "I was fortunate enough to be around when it was flush. If you're just getting started now, it's trickier."
While Keaton continues to work - most notably making his directorial debut this year at the Sundance Film Festival with "The Merry Gentleman" - he often finds time to return to his mill town roots and visit with friends, keeping him in touch with issues Pennsylvanians face. With the presidential race in its final inning, Keaton isn't shy about expressing his thoughts on the campaign and how it will affect his home state.
"Pennsylvania has been getting a bad wrap in the press lately," Keaton said. "I think of this as a chance to show that they're open-minded and to change the state of things in (Pennsylvania) and, therefore, in the country and also, in a way, in the world because we've got to get our ranking back and our respect back."
With the economy topping the list of campaign topics, Keaton thinks it is an opportunity to show the experience of Pennsylvanians not just throughout this campaign, but through the previous eight years.
"People don't see that," Keaton said. "And that's why I'm trying to stand up for people in Pennsylvania and say, 'It's not as simple as what you're reading, these people have been hurting for a long time.' That's why I like this Democratic ticket, I keep saying there needs to be jobs. I care about Pennsylvania and I really think there needs to be jobs in Pennsylvania. My mother, who was at Mass every morning of her life, would have really liked this team. She wouldn't have been happy with the way things have gone in the last eight years."
Although he describes himself as independent-minded, Keaton has been speaking with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey about supporting Barack Obama in the final days of the election.
"We went from this huge surplus to putting our kids and our grandkids deep, deep in debt - and that's this Republican party, there's no way of getting around it," Keaton said. "I think (Obama) is the absolute right guy at the right time. I've spent time with him and this is a decent, level-headed man who looks you right in the eye when he talks to you. He's very calm and collected. I think this is such an important election this year. Pennsylvania has a chance to turn this country around."
Keaton, along with Gov. Ed Rendell and the other awards recipients, will visit Williamsport Nov. 12 for the Governor's Awards for the Arts ceremony.
