See Jaafar Jackson Transform into his Popstar Uncle while Filming Michael
By Elizabeth Paige Richardson | March 19, 2026 | Celebrity & Culture
As the premiere date for Michael gets closer, Jaafar Jackson and Lionsgate are giving a behind-the-scenes look into his process of perfecting the King of Pop’s signature swagger and moves.
The question on most Michael Jackson fans’ minds is, can an actor do justice to the record-breaking performances and music videos that went global before the internet was even a thing in people’s homes?
“Every move matters, every detail matters,” said director Antoine Fuqua. “You can’t just go through a Michael Jackson movie casually.”
The filmmakers took the task of finding the right man for the job seriously when they chose Jaafar. The star dedicated 100% of himself to making sure that he embodied every recognizable detail of his famous uncle, Michael Jackson, before bringing the biopic to the screen for a younger generation of fans.
Jaafar took on the pop star’s famous perfectionist approach when he stepped into the role so that he could prove himself to producers, his family, and ultimately fans that he was the right person to tell this story in the upcoming biopic. His hours of rehearsal are evident in his dancing, where he made sure that every move was right.
“Dancing until my feet would bleed or they’d go numb,” Jaafar said candidly, sharing that he would feel so tired that he started to wonder whether he should go back to rehearsal. “Then another part of my mind would go, ‘no, what would Michael do?’”
Take a look at the new clip here:
Photo Credit: Lionsgate
