Details of the 'Batman Returns' actor's late nephew, whom he honors with his SAG Award for his role on 'Dopesick', surface after his emotional acceptance speech.
- Mar 1, 2022
AceShowbiz - Michael Keaton briefly touched on his family tragedy during his victorious moment at the 2022 SAG Awards. The actor dedicated his win for his role on "Dopesick" to his nephew, who died years ago from drug addiction.
"I am blessed to be able to do something that might improve someone's life. I'm the most fortunate person," he said when accepting the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series. "Mostly, given the subject matter, this is for my nephew Michael and my sister Pam. I lost my nephew Michael to drugs, and it hurts," he added, before tearing up.
Following Keaton's emotional speech, more stories of his late nephew have come to light. Michael Scichilone, the son of the actor's older sister Pamela, died from a heroin and fentanyl overdose in 2016, just weeks after he entered rehab to fight the substance abuse.
In an October 2017 Instagram post, Scichilone's younger sister Emily remembered him, "Last year on this day Michael was in rehab trying to 'get better.' We owe him better." She went on making an impassioned plea, "Let's be compassionate. Let's help people before they pick up drugs."
Scichilone, from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, is described as an "avid sports fan, athlete, amazing son and fiercely loyal friend" on his obituary. It's unknown how long he struggled with addiction, but posts throughout the "KICK IT For Mike" Facebook page blamed the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma that developed the blockbuster opioid OxyContin, for the 34-year-old's death.
On "Dopesick", Keaton plays Dr. Samuel Finnix, a family doctor who sees the effects of OxyContin firsthand. The show takes a look at America's opioid crisis through the lens of addicts and big pharma.
In August 2021, the 70-year-old actor explained why he decided to take on the role. "Look, if this wasn't well written or if they were saying you've got to kind of work for free, I'm not going to lie to you and say I would have done it, but, that said, the No. 1 reason I'm doing this is for Michael and you and for everyone out there, because it's important," he told the New York Times. "There were moments where we were reading the script, and you would say, 'Jeez, this is Michael's story.' "
