Diane Keaton, the septuagenarian who has gathered generations of fans over her nearly 60 years in acting, is a master of many things on screen.
However, off screen, the Hollywood “it girl” was a “master at hiding” dark secrets from her youth that she now describes as “creepy.”
At 77, Diane Keaton is one of Hollywood’s most successful leading ladies, an icon with a career that has lasted almost six decades.
She began her career on stage in 1968, serving as an understudy to a lead role in the hippie musical Hair, where she was discovered by Woody Allen, who subsequently cast her as his love interest in the Broadway show, Play it Again, Sam (1969).
Her depiction of Linda Christie, which she revisited in the 1972 film adaptation of the same title, brought the then 23-year-old her first and only Tony nomination.
Reflecting the short-lived stage romance her character had with Woody Allen’s, her actual relationship with Allen spanned just a couple of years, even though they collaborated on multiple films over the following decades.
Following a few minor roles in a film, TV series, and commercials, the award-winning actress eventually landed her breakthrough role in The Godfather.
Keaton’s visibility as an actress skyrocketed in her portrayal of the girlfriend, and later the wife, of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), in the Oscar-winning film that achieved unmatched financial and critical acclaim.
In 1974, she returned to her role in The Godfather Part II, portraying the estranged wife of a crime empire leader, once again played by Pacino, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship.
“I was infatuated with him. He was charming, funny, and could talk endlessly,” Keaton shares with People, confessing that she had feelings for Pacino before their relationship began. “There was something about him that reminded me of a lost orphan, like a sort of eccentric genius. And oh, he was stunning!”
Her reunion with Allen in Annie Hall (1977) brought her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Keaton starred in numerous successful films such as Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Manhattan, and Reds (1981), where she fell deeply for her co-star and director, Warren Beatty. “The first time I laid eyes on Warren was in Splendor in the Grass (1961). I mean, seriously! He was absolutely breathtaking. A dream come true. And Bonnie and Clyde? Seriously,” she remarked in an interview with Variety. “Not only was he beautiful, captivating, and mysterious, but he was also an incredible producer and director, or rather, he still is an amazing director and producer. All of this is just so exceptional.”
As she evolved in her career, the Baby Boom star took on the role of the mother in Father of the Bride (1991) alongside Steve Martin, and she returned to work with Allen in Manhattan Murder Mystery, her first project with him since Annie Hall. In 2000, she portrayed the ex-wife of the mafia boss in The Godfather Part III.
In 2003, she appeared in the film Something’s Gotta Give, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for her comedic talent. This film marked her first box office success since 1996’s First Wives Club, where she starred alongside Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn.
Her professionalism is highly praised by her co-stars. Jack Nicholson, who worked with Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, remarked, “She’s nothing if not fascinating, and working with her, she’s very unpredictable, which I like. She’s very disciplined about it all. She approaches a script sort of like a play in that she has the entire script memorized before you start doing the movie, which I don’t know any other actors doing that.”
In contrast to her character in the film, who falls for her daughter’s much older boyfriend (Nicholson), Keaton had a fondness for her much younger co-star, Keanu Reeves.
Reflecting on her on-screen kisses with Reeves, who is 20 years her junior, Keaton shared with the Sydney Morning Herald, “It was pretty embarrassing, and for Keanu, too. It has to do with time of life. It’s instinctive, (while kissing him) you go, ‘Uh, probably not!’” The charming actor added, “And Keanu was going, ‘Definitely not!’ He was trying to be polite. But he’s so beautiful, it’s stupefying. It was a guilty pleasure. A very guilty pleasure.”
Neither actor has confirmed the rumors of a romantic relationship off-screen.
Embracing her humility, Keaton champions the beauty of natural aging and takes pride in her silver hair, representing a woman in her late 70s.
“I remind myself that I have the freedom to do whatever I please with my body. Why not? I might resemble a caricature of my younger self; I still don wide-belted plaid coats, horn-rimmed glasses, and turtlenecks even in the summer. So what? It’s only my concern,” she shared in an interview with the Daily Beast. “I don’t find anything wrong with face-lifts, Botox, or fillers. They simply conceal the hidden scars of my battles. I plan to showcase mine, in a way.”
Despite being one of Hollywood’s most esteemed actors as an actor, author, director, and singer, she faces unsolicited criticism from the public.
In 2014, following her appearance at the Golden Globes, an online user targeted her with a tweet stating, “Wow. Diane Keaton got fat.”
Recently, without any clear reason, another critic remarked, “Well, Diane Keaton isn’t nice; she’s ugly inside and out!”
What is important to understand is that the beautiful star–with a desirable slim figure–is currently recovering from a toxic relationship with food.
During her appearance on the Dr. Oz Show, Keaton shared, “It was terrible. It was, without a doubt, the lowest point of my life…I was a heavy person, I was an obese individual, who had somehow deceived myself and managed to conceal it. So when you’re living a lie for four years…” Discussing her struggle with bulimia, she added, “All I did was satisfy my cravings, so I am an addict. It’s a fact. I’m a recovering addict, and I will always be an addict. I have an addictive personality.”
Her insecurities began at the very beginning of her career when she was teased about landing the lead role in Hair, contingent on her losing 10 pounds. The production also offered an additional $50 to actors willing to undress at the end of Act 1. Keaton declined.
To cope with the pressures, she ate excessively. Then she would purge, emptying her stomach of everything she had consumed.
At every dinner, she would consume 20,000 calories, which included a bucket of fried chicken, multiple orders of fries with blue cheese and ketchup, a few TV dinners, a quart of soda, pounds of candy, an entire cake, and three banana cream pies.
Realizing she had an issue, she sought help from a therapist five times a week for a year to tackle her binge eating disorder.
“Now my focus is on work or doing my best to raise my children, even though they’re… not really children anymore,” Keaton shared about her adopted kids.
While roasting his incredibly talented friend at the 2017 American Film Awards gala, where Keaton received a Lifetime Achievement Award, Woody Allen made a light-hearted joke about her eating disorder, which she had kept hidden from him during their relationship.
“I didn’t know many things until I read her books,” Allen quipped. “I didn’t realize she was bulimic… I would take her to these fancy restaurants. $400 for dinner. If I had known she was throwing it up, I could have just taken her to Pizza Hut.”
Even though Keaton was part of the laughter-filled audience, her struggle with bulimia was a serious matter for her.
Emphasizing that her weight loss was not influenced by the expectations of the Hair producers, Keaton mentioned that she has successfully maintained her weight and has become skilled at concealing the truth. “Hiding any signs—how do you ensure that no one finds out? You adopt a rather unusual lifestyle. You’re essentially living a deception.”
She continues, “People were generally kind, but I often felt like I didn’t belong,” she shares. “I had an issue—it was disturbing and unsettling. Bulimia consumes a significant portion of your day.”
As a beloved figure in romantic comedies, the actress, who has never tied the knot, finds joy in being a mother. Keaton is the proud parent of a daughter, Dexter Keaton White, 27, and a son, Duke Keaton, 23, both of whom she adopted in her 50s.
“I never believed I would be ready to embrace motherhood. It wasn’t an overwhelming desire I couldn’t ignore; rather, it was a contemplation I had for quite some time. So, I took the leap,” she expressed.
To manage her busy filming schedule, Keaton resides in a self-made paradise, a farmhouse-style brick mansion that she both designed and constructed. This home, which reflects her love for Pinterest and her fondness for the story of the ‘Three Little Pigs,’ is detailed in her book, ‘The House that Pinterest Built.’
As reported by est, an architectural design magazine, Keaton’s residence is described as a ‘fireproof, earth resistant, water resistant, walled-in compound,’ constructed from 75,000 carefully selected clay bricks. The magazine notes, ‘The actress remembers being read the “Three Little Pigs” and at the age of five, she decided she would live in a brick house when she grew up.’ While many of us enjoy browsing Pinterest, few can claim that their entire home was built from a collection of its images. But then again, we’re not Diane Keaton… This distinctive aspect is truly exceptional and certainly hard to surpass.
Diane Keaton is a remarkable individual who has built an impressive portfolio that includes being an actor, singer, author, director, mother, and designer.
We truly admire her courage in sharing her experiences with her eating disorder, as the mirror can often be our harshest judge. We wish her all the best as she continues on her journey!
Which Diane Keaton films do you love the most?
