Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton reveals he's changing his name – and you won't believe what it is

Michael Keaton is a household name and has starred in several blockbuster films including Beetlejuice and Batman throughout his almost 50-year career.

However, his moniker will read differently in the future as the actor revealed he is ditching his stage name in favor of his birth name.

Michael's real name is already very familiar to millions of people as he shares it with none other than Michael Douglas.

He was forced to change it due to the Screen Actors Guild's rules that no two members can have the same name, and Basic Instinct star Michael Douglas and talk show host Mike Douglas were already members.

"I was looking through – I can't remember if it was a phone book," the 72-year-old recalled to People .

"I must've gone, 'I don't know, let me think of something here.' And I went, 'Oh, that sounds reasonable.'"

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In keeping with SAG rules but also making himself happy, Michael revealed he will now be credited professionally as Michael Keaton Douglas.

He had planned to use the combination of his stage name and his real name on his 2023 film Knox Goes Away , but he admitted he "forgot" amid his responsibilities of directing and starring in the movie.

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"I said, 'Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton Douglas.' And it totally got away from me," he said. "And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that. But that will happen."

Michael is not the first and won't be the last actor to use a stage name instead of their birth name.

His Birdman co-star Emma Stone was born Emily Jean Stone but also had to ditch her first name after joining the Screen Actors Guild and discovering there was another girl who shared her moniker.

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The Cruella star recently confessed that she "would like to be" referred to by her original name whenever possible.

When asked by The Hollywood Reporter whether she would correct a fan who called her Emily rather than Emma, she responded: "No. That would be so nice. I would like to be Emily."

Anchorman star Will Ferrell changed his name because he was "embarrassed" by his given name, John William Ferrell.

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"I remember feeling so embarrassed because my real name is John, John William Ferrell, so first day of school, I'd be John," he said on the MeSsy podcast.

"The teacher would be like 'John Ferrell?' and it was so embarrassing to me to have to say 'Here, but I go by Will, I don't go by John.'"

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When asked why he chose to ditch John, he said: "It wasn't my choice. My parents named me John, but they called me Will. I grew up as Will, but on a rule sheet, my legal name is John Ferrell."

Reese Witherspoon was born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, but she shortened her moniker to her mother, Betty's maiden name before she began her acting career in the 90s.