Ready whenever you are, Michael. Okay, so what was the hardest routine? Which one? Because there are incredible Look, we know that everybody’s going to go and put everything side by side. It is incredible how you recreated these scenes. Which one was the hardest? Thank you.
Which one was the hardest? Um I would say probably Billy Jean, Motown 25. Because I wanted to get as close as I possibly could to that frame by frame. Um and that was tough because trying to stick to that, you know, frame by frame, but also not coming across as just trying to mimic, but still embodying the performance in it and being believable while sticking to that structure.
That was a challenge, you know, hitting every moment, every beat, also having the the the energy and the the showmanship behind the moves, too, which was a a challenge. And what was it like shooting Thriller? Cuz I’ve heard the night was a full moon and I I have some friends who actually saw it that night on the set and they were like, “It was incredible.
It was like otherworldly because it was channeling the in the night that they shot it.” It felt like that. It was It was surreal. It’s weird because it’s just like going back in time, especially I wasn’t even born in that time and and for me to to see and look in the mirror and I’m the zombie version of Michael.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then to see all the zombies around me, it made me it was one of my favorite moments, I think, during the duration of filming. So, is this the This is the start of your acting career? Absolutely. This is just the start. In the highly anticipated Michael biopic, Jaafar Jackson’s goal was never to impersonate his uncle, but to rather channel his essence.
And boy, does he deliver. That is what I want the world to feel. Magic. The 29-year-old beat out 200 other actors to land the role. Jaafar’s preparation took 2 years and included dancing every day until his feet were numb. He also moved back into the Jackson family’s famed Hayvenhurst compound to fully entrench himself in Michael’s world. Let’s do it again.
Did I miss that? Yeah. What’s that like to spend time in the place where Michael created so much magic from? I spent many Well, one I grew up there. Yeah. And then but then in this process of of getting into character, I I used that as a you know, a playground, a place to really train and rehearse, work with my acting coaches, work with choreography of of the many different moves there.
So wait, so you went back to Hayvenhurst and they everybody just came to your house? Yeah. [laughter] So you were like, “I’m home.” Yeah. Like you could go in the kitchen, when you sat on the couch, everything Yeah, I would wake up there, I’d go down, rehearse and and when I take a break, I go up, watch films that my uncle would watch or you know, do different things that would just make me stay in that in that mode and I did that for a few about 2 years, I would say.
So you were back at the house living there basically. Yeah, I [laughter] was. Land like this. Yeah. I’m always on the wrong side. You worked with some of his old choreographers. How was that? Wow, Rich and Tone. Yeah, I got chance to work with them for a good amount of time and and to be able to work with them and hear the stories that they had while working with Michael and those those stories in the rehearsal process of what that was like and how you know, disciplined Michael was, that was incredible to hear and I there’s so much love.
What do you remember most about Michael? What I remember most is just really those tender moments of having fun with my uncle and it would be was my uncle Jackie and my uncle Marlon, but my uncle Michael and he we’d come over at Hayvenhurst where I grew up and we’d have family day and it was just so fun.
We’d play board games, we’d just play hide and go seek, we’d have a lot of candy, watch movies. So it was always a lot of levity and and fun. When did you realize that you’re like, “Damn, we’re pretty famous.” [laughter] When did I first realize I was I was I was around five or six. In in New York for the 30th anniversary. Yes.
At Madison Square Garden. I just remember it being incredibly loud, hearing all the fans screaming and I was covering my ears and seeing my my father and uncles on stage. That was my very first time seeing them perform. And that’s I feel like that’s when I first realized that they’re they’re incredibly important and their music means a lot to the to the world just by hearing and seeing the fans reaction.
Advertisements
Cuz I was I was so young so I couldn’t really fully comprehend, you know, the magnitude of their of their appeal to to people. But as I grew older then I started to really understand. Michael, I knew you were different the moment you were born. I think the one of the things I took away from this movie also was how lonely Michael was.
That this movie shows you that he was alone so much and that’s why he had his animals and other things. How important was it to show that personal side of your uncle? It’s incredibly important. And I think this film does an amazing job with that, showing those quiet moments, showing the creative process which he was, you know, very secretive about and allowing to you to see how he creates.
But I think those are really important moments to to feel and also see, especially as a new someone that’s a newer a newer audience to to understand him. But also have those amazing moments where they you’re familiar with the the Billy Jean, Thriller, the Beat It, and the iconic moments but also the moments leading up to that and like what was his mindset like? What was he feeling leading up to those moments, which is important.
I believe music can change the world. ET traveled nearly 6,000 miles away to Berlin for this exclusive interview inside the immersive Michael Jackson fan experience. Many of these iconic outfits were recreated for the film that hits theaters April 24th. And this was one of my favorites, honestly, the Victory Tour.
Tour. Oh, yeah. Did you see YouTube footage of it? I became a huge fan of just the whole show itself. So, to see it come to life on the set, they had the actual real lights they brought back for for this and then the wardrobe was one of my favorites. Playing the different eras was really exciting for me and also challenging, especially with the moves, the movement like his 80s is one thing, but to learn the 70s was a whole new thing.
Now, this is this movie is just the beginning. So, what will we see in the next phase of this? Oh, I’m excited to see. There’s so much to tell Michael’s story. You can’t fit all into one movie. It’s possi- it’s I think impossible to tell in two hours, so I’m I’m definitely looking forward to to seeing what will come about in that way and and it’s definitely in the making.
Is that already done or you making it now? What What is the latest on the early development right now. Oh, okay. Yeah. So, you’re ready. You still have to stay in Michael mode. [laughter] Yeah, that’s right. I do. There is the Grammy jacket. It’s really heavy, huh? It is heavy and I’m glad I didn’t have to perform with it.
It’s just that moment when holding all the Grammys. Yeah. Yeah. Bad. Oh, yeah. Bad. You got the Billie Jean, Motown 25, Thriller, Beat It, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, the The tuxedo. That was fun. The tuxedo. I remember rehearsing and I I wanted to rehearse with the tuxedo to get a feel for it cuz I was rehearsing just normal clothes, rehearsal clothes, and it’s a different thing performing with a tuxedo on, you know.
Yeah, it’s hard. Well, it has to be loose, right? to be They have to adjust it specifically to do certain moves, so that was interesting. But it’s I That’s one of my favorite looks, too, of of Michael’s. It’s so clean. I know that you’re a Jackson and people already know you and everything, but this is one of those moments where everything will change for you.
Have you prepared for that moment? To the best of my ability, and I’ve been very fortunate to to grow up and and see that with my my father and uncles and to have the guidance and the support from my family, and they’ve given me so much incredible, you know, such insight on on on the business and what to look out for, you know.
So, I’m not going into it too blind-sided, and I think I have a really strong foundation, but I don’t know. We’ll we’ll see. I don’t know how many places you can go anymore. I’ll be honest with you. After this, I don’t know how, you know, life changes. Did they did they give any piece of advice about it? To not take anything too serious, and everything is, you know, it’s all smoke and mirrors.
You don’t, you know, they build you up and just kind of keep your foundation, keep people around you trust, and take time each day to to ground yourself, and and and just stay calm. Yes, I believe in me, so you believe in you.
