The role of Michael Jackson for the upcoming biopic about the King of Pop was given to the perfect person.
Jaafar Jackson, the son of Jermaine Jackson and nephew of Michael Jackson, will be making his film debut in Michael, playing the “Thriller” singer. Jaafar Jackson appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night to tell the story of how he got the lead role.
The 29-year-old actor and singer revealed that he first heard about the movie when he read an article online that film producer Graham King, who was also behind Queen‘s biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, got the rights to tell Michael Jackson’s story. Two months later, King called Jaafar Jackson and told him that he wanted to have a Zoom meeting with him, and Jaafar already had a feeling about “what this was going to lead” to.
While getting lunch with King, Jaafar revealed to him that he “never wanted to be an actor” and he actually wanted to become a professional golf player, but got into music. But, he mentioned that he grew up watching his uncle’s music videos and movies. Six months later, King got Jaafar Jackson an acting coach and started working on certain scenes for the upcoming film, and it ended up being a two-year process of auditioning and turning into Michael Jackson.
While filming Michael, Jaafar Jackson described “spending all those hours in the makeup chair” as “surreal and a spiritual moment at the same time.”
“That process of seeing me slowly transform into Michael was emotional,” he admitted. He also gave credit to Bill Corso, the head of makeup for the biopic.
Singer, dancer, & actor Jaafar Jackson during an interview on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
(Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jaafar Jackson started singing and dancing at 12 years old. In 2015, he was the main cast member of his family’s reality show Living with the Jacksons, where he sang covers by Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. In 2019, he released his debut single “Got Me Singing,” and appeared in various Jackson-related projects such as The Jacksons: Next Generation and the music video for Tito Jackson’s “Love One Another.”
It was confirmed in December 2023 that Jaafar Jackson was cast in the lead role of Michael, which is directed by Antoine Fuqua. The ensemble cast also features Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Juliano Krue Valdi, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo, and will be released in theaters on April 24.
Best known for his songs, performances, fashion taste and popularizing street dance moves like the moonwalk and robot, Michael Jackson has been regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures in the 20th century. During this 40-year career, he released 10 studio albums and appeared in several films. The “Billie Jean” singer passed away in June 2009 from a cardiac arrest that was caused by a propofol overdose.
His upcoming biopic about his life and career, Michael, will be out in theaters on April 24.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Movies section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.