Two years before filming a picture for “Michael,” Jaafar Jackson made a list of goals. One of them was to beat “Bohemian Rhapsody” and exceed $1 billion at the global box office.
He did both.
Antoine Fuqua’s film, released on April 24, became the first biopic in history to exceed $1 billion worldwide and Lionsgate’s biggest release ever. It also made Jackson a star, who had never played professionally before.
“I was quite moved,” he says. Variety. “I know how proud Michael would be, because he was someone who wanted to break many records.”
In this episode of Variety A podcast from the awards circuit, Jackson talks directing the blockbuster “Michael,” navigating the Oscar buzz around his performance and what he hopes comes after a career-defining year.
Listen below.
Jackson, 30, sits with Variety just two days after finishing his second film, “Supermax,” alongside Will Smith, after 40 days of filming in Australia. He speaks candidly about the life that brought him here. Growing up in a house filled with 30 or 40 relatives every vacation day, he dreamed of becoming a golfer, not an artist. He didn’t fully understand the weight of his last name until he was about six years old, watching his father and uncles take the stage as the Jackson 5 at a reunion concert in New York and hearing the crowd explode.
He has fond memories of his family, especially his late uncle. One of her earliest memories of Michael is asking for Starbursts, particularly the pink and red ones, her favorite flavors.
However, bringing Michael to life required two years of preparation before Jackson officially landed the role: building his own archive of songs, demos, diaries, rehearsals and performances; working with acting coach Angela Gibbs; and immerse yourself in the techniques of Stanislavski, Meisner and Uta Hagen. Nailing his signature voice and tone came first. After the younger Jackson sent producer Graham King an unsolicited voice note speaking under the name Michael, he got a coach the next day. The hardest part was learning his signature films, especially when performing the footwork in “Bad,” which closes the film.
But what does it mean to relive your own family history?
Colman Domingo plays a grandfather who, Jackson says, was gentler with him than with his father, Jermaine. Nia Long, who plays her grandmother Katherine, touched her hand in some scenes like her grandmother did in real life. His father Jermaine insisted on seeing the film for the first time during its premiere in Berlin, surrounded by an audience. And the next day he called his son and told him that he could not distinguish him from his late brother.
Jaafar is just trying to make sense of it all.
Read excerpts from his episode below.
The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson, “Michael” (Glen Wilson/Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection)
©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection
You’re here two days after finishing a movie with Will Smith. Is this correct?
That’s correct. I spent about 40 days in Australia, an incredible experience, shooting my second film and filming outside of the country, as we shot the entirety of “Michael” in Los Angeles. It was a completely new experience, with a new team, a new cast and a completely different character in Michael. This excited me.
So you didn’t dance or sing in this film?
No, no, not at all. It’s completely different.
You were born in Los Angeles in 1996. What was your childhood like as Jackson, and when did you first realize what the name meant to the world?
I grew up with lots of siblings and cousins who visited me on weekends and every holiday. About 30-40 family members were home, so we had lots of game nights and family meals, complete with music. I didn’t really realize who my family was until I was around six years old, when I saw them perform in New York for their 30th anniversary. Hearing the fans screaming, I was scared because I didn’t understand how intense it was to see people react to someone like that.
I first saw that when my dad and my uncles took the stage as the Jackson 5, and that’s the first memory I remember: “Oh, they’re important in some way. They have a huge fan base.”
Very important follow-up. What games have you played on family game night and how competitive does it get in the Jackson household?
It was always Pictionary. Boys versus girls, without a doubt. It was pretty competitive, because boys always like to brag. I think our streak was about 15 years long. I think it was unfair. There are many more boys in the family.
You started making music around age 12 and your first single, “Got Me Singing,” was released in 2019. Have you always considered yourself a musician first and foremost?
No. Growing up, I only focused on golf. I started playing around the age of 4. My dad gave me golf balls to throw before I could properly swing a club, because I was so young. I fell in love with it. He found me a coach to practice with once a week and then I joined a junior golf club and started playing tournaments and doing charity tournaments with my dad. I committed to it full time, every day, until he took me to a recording studio and made me sit down and watch him create from scratch. It changed what I wanted to do. This was the turning point.
What is your first memory of your Uncle Michael? Not the icon. Just Uncle Michael.
Ask him for candy. He always had candy machines or piles of candy in the movie theater, and I had a Starburst addiction problem at that age. Pink and red. I ate too much of it when I was a kid. I remember always asking him for candy and wanting to play. He always had the latest games and consoles, and we played hide and seek.
In this house, it must have been impossible to find him.
He was the best at it. It was just fun, free roaming and it was fun all the time.
“Michael” became the first biopic to top $1 billion worldwide, and it is Lionsgate’s biggest film ever. Sorry for setting that bar for yourself. Do you remember where you were when you heard this and who called to tell you?
I was at home and spoke with Antoine (Fuqua) and Graham King individually. We were discussing how crazy this step was. As you go into it, you hope and dream that it will be such a success. I remember two years before production even started, I wrote a list of goals I wanted to achieve, one of which was to beat “Bohemian Rhapsody” and cross the billion-dollar mark. When it did that, I was pretty emotional. I was proud of it, because I know how proud Michael would be. He wanted to break many records, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
I imagine you roaming the earth, stalking Rami Malek. “I’m coming for your case, man.”
No, he’s great. I actually had the opportunity to meet him in Paris during Fashion Week. He couldn’t have been nicer.
Let’s talk about “Michael” Part 2. Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson said production could begin late this year or early next year, with a release planned for 2027 or 28. Where do things officially stand? Is there anything on your schedule?
I haven’t been told anything concrete, but whatever decision is made, I’m more than ready to get back to it and excited about what’s next. I haven’t been told a date or anything solid yet. As far as my schedule goes, it’s open.
Before the release, there was a lot of reporting on the original third act, which dealt with sensitive topics. What was it like, as an actor, to lose material that you had already shot and performed, knowing that the footage would never see the light of day?
It was a massive shoot. I’ve heard many stories from other actors about how many shoots on a project don’t make it into the final picture. In the editing room, you’re going through scenes looking for specific performances or takes and things are constantly changing. So, when I arrived, I knew that everything we had shot would not make it into the final photo. But for me, it was the most enriching experience because even the things that weren’t used, the experience I got from it, made me a better actor. I have a feeling this will happen even more times with other projects. You wish a certain performance was there and it’s not. This is something you have to take into account when making a film.
You’re in a best actor conversation with people like Ryan Gosling, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon and John Malkovich. How are you approaching your first Oscar campaign? Even the film’s detractors seem to agree: “But Jaafar is great. »
It was a crazy, surreal experience, and it all happened so quickly. I take it one day at a time. Having these conversations and being here to speak with you has been a great honor and I’m learning so much. Whatever the studio has in mind, I will be there to support the film in any way necessary and I will be happy to do so. It’s an exciting time and it inspires me to want to do more work and challenge myself in different ways. Being a part of this conversation is definitely an honor.
Did you know awards season is like this? That you would have to go through all these campaign stops?
Not to this extent. You hear stories, but it’s a great experience to feel them and see them with your own eyes.
What did you have to learn from scratch, and who taught you Michael-isms and Michael moves?
It all started with dissecting and creating a library of Michael’s images. A library of all his songs, demos, writings and journals, performances and rehearsals. I immersed myself in it every day. It has become a full time…
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