Diane Keaton Likes a Messy Comedy

One of Diane Keaton’s new favorite pastimes is going for walks by herself, taking pictures of abandoned storefronts.

“You can see sadness, but you can also look at the attempts that they made when they were selling whatever they were selling,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Los Angeles. “One place will look like one thing, and another, you could tell that it had clothes or some sort of fashion with it. It’s fascinating for me.”

Keaton’s solitude is broken up by acting, which creates opportunities for her to make friends and meet new people, including on her latest movie, “Book Club: The Next Chapter.”

Out Friday, it is a sequel to the 2018 film “Book Club,” and reunites Keaton and her friends, played by Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. This time they are coming out of quarantine for a trip to Italy, and the movie is peppered with references to “The Alchemist,” Paulo Coelho’s best-selling novel about a young shepherd in search for treasure and his “personal legend.”

“The movie’s fine,” Keaton said. “I did what I could, you know, sort of.”

The 77-year-old Oscar-winning actress talked about Goodwill fashion, Miley Cyrus and tortillas. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1

Visual Books

I have a whole room full of visual books. They’re engaging in a way that moves me. Somebody recently sent me this amazing book of Lee Friedlander’s photographs, “Lee Friedlander Framed by Joel Coen.” It just takes me back to how the world looked — our world, our country, our cities and people’s homes.

2

Fashion

My interest in fashion goes back to my mother. When I was in junior college, or even younger, and I was consumed by what people were wearing, there were other girls who had more money, and they were able to have clothes that I envied. My mom and I would go around to the Goodwill and we would buy old clothes — an old skirt, a blouse — and she would make it into a better version of that.

3

The Beach

My father loved the ocean. He would gather us together constantly to explore all kinds of places that have oceanfront. For almost a year, I’ve been trying to buy a beach house. It’s not like it’d be a grand beach house, but everybody’s holding on to their homes. If you go to Laguna Beach, which I love, you can’t buy anything.

4

Family

I had this dinner with my children last night, and we were all together, and my daughter’s husband was there. It’s just wonderful that I have that opportunity. Even as a young adult, I really needed my mother and my father a lot. When I had problems, they were there, both of them. I loved them. They were very much an active part of my life.

5

Miley Cyrus and Ashe

These are two really interesting young women who are taking over music, who I have been lucky to encounter and to get to know a little bit. I like both of these two young women because they’re both unique.

6

My Golden Retriever

I have a golden retriever named Reggie. Somebody gave her to me as a gift. Reggie’s been a bad girl today. I’m so happy that I have enough room out in the backyard for her to just destroy all the plants. Right, Reg? I love that dog. There are things that just take your heart and your breath away.

7

Tortillas

I like tortillas. I buy tortillas. Just the tortillas. I slap a bunch of stuff inside of it and I eat it and love it. I love tortillas.

8

Comedies

I do feel more comfortable with comedy than drama. I like the mess of it and that it can kind of crop up on you and then you’re free to play around.

9

Movie Theaters

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the theater, but I love to go to movie theaters, and it’s been really interesting the way it’s just kind of fallen apart, but now it’s very slowly coming back. I love that. I’m glad it’s coming back.

10

My Collage Wall

I have a massive wall of images that I’ve cut out of magazines or that I’ve kept. Right now I’m looking at a picture I cut out of a magazine of Buster Keaton. It’s so great. What a beautiful face. One is of a truck that has a huge sign that these men are trying to hold onto that says, in large letters, “Damaged.” Go figure.