Antoine Fuqua and Jaafar Jackson Step Into the World of Michael

Every story has a beginning, but Michael Jackson’s legend defies a single starting point. Director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael doesn’t attempt to solve that problem — it finds a way in, tracing the private architecture of an artist before the world made him untouchable.

Few directors were better equipped to capture Jackson’s story than the man behind Training Day, The Equalizer, and The Magnificent Seven. A seasoned blockbuster director, Fuqua got his start in New York City at Propaganda Films, a cultural engine that ushered in the 1990s’ most prominent rap and R&B artists, alongside contemporary filmmakers like Spike Jonze, Michael Bay, and David Fincher. During his tenure, he notably directed Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and collaborated with the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Toni Braxton. When Graham King, the producer behind Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), secured rights to Michael Jackson’s life story from the Jackson estate in 2019, Fuqua’s involvement not only signaled anticipation for the scale of Michael, but also a personal manifesto of what Jackson’s artistry meant to the director.

“Michael was a world artist,” Fuqua shared with Hypebeast on the set of our digital cover story. “I think as a director, watching Michael not get put in a box helped me fight that same battle.” Michael is less a biography than a case for what it costs to become yourself — spanning the bubblegum soul of the Motown era through the seismic cultural weight of Jackson’s solo career, tracing the intimate family dynamics, quiet pressures, and pivotal decisions that turned a boy from Gary, Indiana, into the most scrutinized artist in pop history. With a star-studded cast, including Nia Long, Colman Domingo, and Miles Teller, Fuqua lets Jackson’s discography do the heavy lifting in shaping this narrative.

And since magic seems to run in the family, Jaafar Jackson, son of Jermaine Jackson, steps into the limelight as the film’s star protagonist. At 29, the singer-songwriter makes his silver screen debut — the same age his uncle was when he released Bad (1987). It’s the kind of detail that feels less like coincidence and more like inevitability. Jaafar’s 2019 single “Got Me Singing” planted the seeds of a budding music career in the vein of his late uncle — soft pop melodies anchored to silky-smooth vocals reminiscent of MJ’s high tenor. But the role demanded more than bloodline. What followed was nearly two years of auditions, an intensive crash course in acting, and a deep immersion into his uncle’s personal writings, mantras, and archival performances — learning not just the moonwalk but the mind behind it. To play Michael Jackson having never set foot on a film set before is, by any measure, an almost impossible ask. Jaafar answered it anyway.

Every artist who has followed in Jackson’s wake inherited something he fought to establish — the right to reinvent, to demand spectacle, to treat pop music as high art. For diehard fans, Michael is a homecoming, moving through the Motown era into the landmark runs of Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982) — and the performances that made each one feel like a cultural event.

Opening April 24, Michael will be distributed domestically by Lionsgate. Ahead of the theatrical release, Hypebeast sat down with Fuqua and Jaafar Jackson on set to discuss the weight of the undertaking — how a first-time actor found his way into one of the most scrutinized lives in pop history, and how a director whose roots are in music finally came home to tell the story he was always meant to tell. As both will tell you, things had a way of falling into place that felt like more than coincidence.

Hypebeast: Jaafar, as a first-time actor, how did you start your preparation for the role?

Jaafar Jackson: It was a whole brand new thing for me, and that was the challenge, going into something that I had no idea how it works. I’d never been on set before. I’ve never acted before. I’d never been to an acting class. So for me, it was initially about wanting to learn what is acting before even wanting to know if I can embody Michael. So that was the search, finding actors that I admired growing up, and seeing their films. That was the first foot in the doors, learning, acting, and then everything came after that.

What archival material was most useful to you in terms of tapping into Michael Jackson’s essence?

Jaafar Jackson: For me, if I’m studying performances, YouTube was the best place for me. I created a large library of performances, even from the Jackson 5 days, to see his roots. The Bad Tour, the Motown 25, and even tours with the brothers, the Destiny Triumph, I collected as many videos as I can just to see his evolution of dance, but also his showmanship. What served me most were his personal notes, his mantras, his affirmations. He would write down and post notes on the wall. And having access to that really allowed me into his mind to see how he felt in certain moments, or what he wanted to achieve certain things. That was incredibly helpful for me.

Antoine, considering films like Training Day, you’re slightly pivoting from the action thriller genre to tell MJ’s story, which is equally grand in scale. How did you approach the music biopic genre as a new creative playground?

Antoine Fuqua: It was a natural transition because I started off in music videos. My roots are in music, and that helped me a lot with understanding what needs to be done with a biopic like Michael, with the performances and the drama, as well. Michael has such a big influence in my life. Just as an artist, I understood it instantly. It wasn’t a hard transition for me.

What was it like working with wardrobe stylist Marci Rodgers and connecting to the spirit of the ‘80s through Michael Jackson’s iconic fashion persona?

Antoine Fuqua: Every part was intentional. Myself and Graham King, the producer, we interviewed everyone in every department to make sure that they were passionate about making the film, and they all were. Bringing Marci in and people like that who have love for Michael, people we knew would research and stay true to Michael’s persona. They grew up listening to Michael’s music. It makes it an easier transition to jump into something that’s daunting because the details have to be perfect. Every inch on the pants hem, every diamond or shiny detail has to be perfect. It really was putting together a team that was doing it out of love. We wanted to make sure we represented Michael properly.

Considering your familial ties, were you a shoe-in or did you find yourself fighting for this role?

Jaafar Jackson: It was definitely a process. I wasn’t sure if I was going to get it because it was almost a two-year process of me auditioning. I worked with an incredible acting coach. I started working on scenes from the film, but then I was introduced to Rich and Tone, who were Michael’s dance choreographers. And we just started working on his movements. That was a whole different beast. It took almost two years until I knew I had the role for sure. And then I had another full year-and-a-half to really prepare knowing, ‘Oh, this is my role.’ Now I have that confidence to really go in and hone the little details — the mannerisms, the movement, the vocals. So it was definitely something I had to earn, and it wasn’t just handed to me.

To that point, what was it like working with brothers Rich and Tone and honing the film’s various choreography scenes?

Jaafar Jackson: Rich and Tone were on the “History Tour” with Michael. So they really helped me get that firsthand knowledge of who Michael was in the rehearsal process. The way he trained like an Olympian. And to hear those stories really helped me apply myself to training and get into Michael’s mindset. Working with them was incredible. It really was amazing.

Approaching Michael’s discography is a tall ask in general. Why did 1984 feel like a natural place to bookend the film’s narrative?

Antoine Fuqua: I think the intention was to give the audience a chance to catch up, get to know who Michael was. We intentionally took you through a part of his life that we thought was pivotal to his decisions and his process to become the Michael that a lot of young people know today. Come to find out, a lot of young people don’t know much about that part of Michael’s early life. They just know Michael from Thriller and Bad onward. So it was important to get that right and give the audience a chance to dissect the character from his humble beginnings to see how he was rising and the things he had to go through to get there.

How is Jackson’s discography used as a narrative vehicle throughout the film? How were you able to reconnect with the cultural energy that resonated with this era of music?

Jaafar Jackson: It was a brand new thing, especially understanding the movement of this era. For example, Off the Wall, having to learn all those Studio 54 disco-style moves was so strange to me. Getting the groove in your hips, at first it feels a little funny, but then you gain that confidence of really pulling it off and understanding the meaning behind the move, which to me was pivotal. You have to really own it and almost have this lion-fierce energy behind it. And the music really informed that without having to think too much, really just letting the music tell you what to do, feeling the beat and movements that come to you naturally. But it’s getting to that point where you can begin to feel free. Michael wasn’t overthinking it, because you don’t want to think while you’re dancing, you always want to just go off the feeling.

Antoine Fuqua: The music puts you there, it puts you right in that era. It sets the tone, sets the pace. There’s a certain energy you feel from Michael’s music, so in the film, it was used to help tell the artistic side of Michael and also the emotional side of Michael. It helped create a certain architecture of how this film would structurally go with the music. So we get to see each development of these characters alongside the songs and videos.

Michael never allowed you to put him in a box, and he wouldn’t put himself in a box. He created music for the world. That’s what he said. And his music would have electric guitar to bongos from Brazil. Michael was a world artist, and I think as a director, watching Michael not get put in a box helped me fight that same battle. Seeing what he did to reinvent himself, to…

How to pivot as an artist…

Antoine Fuqua: How to pivot as an artist and how to appeal to a broader audience.

Jaafar Jackson: I think he definitely set a blueprint, like Antoine said, not being put in a box or allowing record labels to put him in a box or say stick to that sound. He wanted to reinvent himself with each album and give audiences something that they never expected with each performance, each song, each dance move. And he always tried to have something up his sleeve that they didn’t know was coming. And that was something that he had since he was a kid. And that gradually got stronger and stronger as he grew up as an artist. And especially with “Billie Jean,” his fight for that creative freedom and moving in his own lane. Having that shown to a broader audience I think really opened the doors for Black artists. So many have followed in those same steps, but Michael really was the first to stay creatively open, try different things, and break the box.

As the film takes us through the Motown Era, how were you able to stay historically accurate in depicting the harsh realities of the music industry and the complicated relationship among the Jackson family?

Antoine Fuqua: We kept the focus on the family and what they did to get to the top. The story doesn’t go into too much of the record label stuff. We touch on it, it is there, but this is really more about the family dynamics as they rise to the top, to Jackson 5 and Michael finding his freedom.

It’s no secret that MJ’s relationship with his father was contentious. How did you approach this highly delicate family dynamic in collaboration with co-star Colman Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson?

Jaafar Jackson: Colman was incredible and just the way he showed up so prepared and ready. Just allowing the scene to inform us and carry this story. Having Antoine to guide us or let us play and allow us to have a bit of freedom. We really wanted to explore those quiet moments that would allow audiences to see a side of Michael or feel what it may have been like to be him in a lot of those moments. And I think that will be something that will surprise them because we’re so used to seeing him on stage, rather than up close and personal. I’m excited for people to feel that.

Antoine Fuqua: They were both fantastic. Colman was great. We talked a lot about what it must have been like to be a father at that time, a Black man, working in a steel mill and some of the pressure he would feel, through his lens, raising nine children.

A whole tribe.

Antoine Fuqua: Right, exactly. And it’s like, he can lose his job any moment at the steel mill. Especially at that time because they were given to Vietnam vets when they came home. So it’s a lot of fear of being able to keep the family together and take care of everybody. I think that drove him a lot. We spoke a lot about that with Colman, and he was fantastic. He did his own homework as well, and he came in and worked amazingly with Jaafar.

What were some of the memorable moments on set that captured the film crew’s chemistry?

Jaafar Jackson: For me, one of the most memorable moments was having my grandmother come to set and see me. She saw the performances early in the shoot. The first two weeks, she came and visited the set, and just having her there really meant a lot. And I know her being able to see everything was definitely a highlight throughout the entire shoot.

Antoine Fuqua: I have so many memories. There are so many moments, but I think seeing Jaafar every day was just amazing. It really was, because he’s never acted before. I’m so impressed with his professionalism, his craft, how he really brought it to life every day. There’s not one moment for me, it’s just watching him every day show up and do the work. It’s almost an impossible task to be Michael Jackson. And if you’ve never acted before, and then you’re coming into this room, you got Colman [Domingo], you got Nia [Long], producer Graham King, me, a lot of people. It’s one thing to study acting and do the homework, but then there’s the reality where you actually have to perform in front of 500 people, every day with lights in your face and this whole thing. It can be really daunting. The first thing we shot was the performance … I think it was “Bad,” in front of … I think we had a thousand people.

“Bad” was the first performance on set?

Antoine Fuqua: Day one of shooting [laughs].

Jaafar Jackson: Day one [laughs].

Antoine Fuqua: So you have thousands of extras, all the crew, lights, everything’s huge, and he just gets thrown in the fire. And he came out, and I was so impressed with him every day. I just couldn’t wait to see what he would do every day.

Speaking to some of his pivotal career moments, Michael Jackson was the first Black artist to debut a world premiere video on MTV. For younger audiences, some of which never experienced the height of MTV, TRL, etc., how were you able to showcase that “Thriller” revolutionized the music video as a standalone art form?

Antoine Fuqua: Michael loved movies. He loved cinema. He was making short films. He wouldn’t consider them music videos. They were short films, and he was always pushing his creative aesthetics and trying to say something. If you look at “Beat It,” he put together all the gang members because he heard about all the violence on the streets. He wanted to do something to bring them all together, and so that video really was a statement, not just a video. When you look at all of his work, there’s a reason, there’s an intention. It’s not random, and it’s not just to wow you. There’s something in it that he’s trying to tell you.

The scale of Michael’s stardom in the 1980s onward set the precedent for larger-than-life pop exports. How does the film relay that Michael’s meteoric rise was not just a personal accomplishment but a testament to Black artistry — the ability for Black artists to pierce pop culture and international audiences?

Jaafar Jackson: I wanted to really dive into who Michael really was behind closed doors. It’s that intimate side of him dealing with his creative ideas, struggling to gain independence from his family and really carve out his solo moment. It was very important for me to help inform those moments. Like, for “Thriller,” I kept asking myself what he’d be feeling during that time, creating that album, or even shooting the music video. I think having access to a lot of his writings, like I said earlier, helped me tremendously to create a timeline of how he was feeling in 1979, or what he wanted to achieve in 1985 after Thriller. He was so specific. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. He knew exactly the people he wanted to work with.

Antoine Fuqua: He would collect information.

Jaafar Jackson: He was also a marketing genius.

Antoine Fuqua: He used to call himself a scientist. He made it clear you have to study everything.

Jaafar Jackson: Dissect.

Antoine Fuqua: Yes, dissect. But remember, Michael is one of the last entertainers that truly understood showmanship. I mean, even in his everyday life, he still wore the outfits with the sparkles on it. So when Michael Jackson showed up, it was a whole show. It wasn’t like jeans and flip flops. He was this character when you saw him out in the world. He understood spectacle. Showmanship he understood. Mystery he understood. And that’s unfortunately a dying skillset for a lot of artists.

In terms of building this character, was your research solely based on his personal archives or did you both find yourselves also reaching out to his larger network of industry collaborators?

Antoine Fuqua: I spent a lot of time with people that knew Michael intimately. Obviously, watching the videos again and remembering when I was doing music videos during that time, what it felt like, just being a fan of Michael, from my perspective. How did I see him through my lens growing up, and what he meant to me. My inspiration really came from what Michael meant to me and wanting to get to know Michael in a more intimate way, opposed to his onstage persona and the spectacle. What was he going through in his life? What actually informed some of his decisions?

On the subject of art imitating life, how has this role influenced your own relationship to music, dance and entertainment. Do you think acting is something you wish to continue?

Jaafar Jackson: It’s funny because after experiencing the work that went into Michael, I have a different outlook on music. I don’t want to make music as much now. I would say I definitely want to continue acting, but I feel like what I experienced on stage as Michael, nothing will satisfy me in that sense as an artist if I were to do it myself.

Broadway?

Jaafar Jackson: [Laughs] Maybe. I need to go see some Broadway shows. With acting, it’s more exciting to use different emotions, different wardrobes, different moods that excites me and have a little more electricity. I wasn’t really a dancer before going into this. I knew rhythm growing up. I knew how to move on the beat, but I never considered myself a dancer until I went through the training I did for Michael and learning his movement vocabulary. Going into it, I had to really look at it as if I had no ties to the family. That’s where I wanted to learn from, as if I had no information. So I would dissect and learn everything from the beginning, the moves, the clothing, the meaning behind the lyrics of each song, and why he’d create a certain album.

So, again, my timeline really helped. I put up as much information I could find on Michael, hearing it from firsthand family members or from people that worked with Michael. I really immersed myself with all that information and always was in search of, and always curious to unpack who he was. But I think artists are curious. I never felt like, ‘Oh, I got it.’ I always had that hunger and desire to find out more.

What do you want audiences to take away from Michael?

Jaafar Jackson: I really hope that they walk away with a deeper understanding of who Michael was. I hope they walk away inspired, and especially for newer audiences, to learn about Michael, to learn about the man behind the music, behind the moves.

Antoine Fuqua: I want them to feel joy. I want them to be inspired. I want them to get a taste of what Michael may have gone through as a young man and his fight for his artistic freedom. How important it is for an artist to fight for your freedom.

His individuality, his ability to step out on his own.

Antoine Fuqua: That’s right. I’m hoping the audience walks away feeling inspired and understanding Michael’s desire to want more out of his art. Always wanting more and doing more. I’ve mentioned that this film is almost like a spiritual journey, but oddly enough, me and Jaafar found out we’re distant cousins.

Jaafar Jackson: [Laughs] Yes.

Actual cousins?

Antoine Fuqua: Distant cousins. So Harvey Fuqua was my cousin who produced for Berry Gordy, Marvin Gaye — all the Motown artists. He married Berry Gordy’s sister. At one point, Jaafar’s dad was married to Berry Gordy’s other sister, which makes us cousins. But I didn’t realize it until we got into the movie and I was like, ‘I think we’re cousins.’

Jaafar Jackson: [Laughs] You told me I had Motown 25.

Antoine Fuqua: Someone sent me a photo, and it was of Jermaine, Harvey, and the sisters at some event.

Jaafar Jackson: Oh really? [laughs]

Antoine Fuqua: But to me, it’s almost like the divine — how Michael works [laughs]. I say it’s a spiritual journey because so many things happened during this movie. So many things just lined up in a way, and we’d go, ‘No, that’s not possible.’ But sure enough, that’s exactly how Michael worked. He brought people together. Throughout this whole movie, Michael put things around us, brought certain people in, certain things just ended up working. I really felt like his spirit was present a lot.