Making Michael

Watching Colman Domingo, Nia Long and Jaafar Jackson interact, you would think they’re family.

Outside, an exceptionally sunny March afternoon in Malibu provides a great backdrop for the trio, who are seated on a gold-paneled couch in a private mansion overlooking the city’s winding roads and rolling hillsides. The room is booming with activity—but the three don’t seem to notice. They have just wrapped their cover shoot for the upcoming film, Michael, and are in deep conversation as the world moves around them. Much like their onscreen counterparts, the bond between them is unmistakable, formed by the time they spent together, both in front of and away from the cameras.

“It was a really long shoot,” Long says, after I inquire about their natural chemistry. “So we had to love each other.”

Starring as Joseph “Joe” Jackson, Katherine Jackson and Michael Jackson, respectively, Domingo, Long and Jackson have been tasked with leading one of the year’s premiere releases: Antoine Fuqua’s ambitious biopic about the life and career of the man who would eventually be known as the King of Pop. The film, which has been nearly a decade in the making, explores the entertainer’s early success with the Jackson 5 and ultimately, as a solo artist, while also capturing his humanity and the complicated relationships within one of the most famous families in music.

Over the years, Hollywood has tried to take on the complex story of the enigmatic musician from Gary, Indiana. In 1992, ABC premiered the beloved television miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and a little over a decade later, the less-than-favorable Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story revisited his life from another angle. Now, with an ensemble that also includes Larenz Tate, Laura Harrier, Kendrick Sampson, Kat Graham and Miles Teller, among others, viewers can experience an effort that aims to set the record straight. With all of that in mind, it raises a familiar question: Can this telling fully capture the man behind the legend?

The cast’s approach was guided by a clear sense of responsibility to the superstar’s legacy and the supporters who have followed him since the late-1960s. “The goal for us, for me, was to just honor Michael in a way that would just make the fans excited,” Long admits. “We wanted to tell the story the way the story really needs to be told, but also, we wanted fans to get excited that this was happening. And to have Jaafar at the center of it was really amazing because he’s an extension of the family.”

As the nephew of the film’s titular character, there are lofty expectations for Jaafar Jackson. But being around him, even on a busy day like this one, you wouldn’t be able to tell. He’s calm, and his demeanor is steady, matching the warmth of the California air that currently fills the room. Michael is his first feature film (and first acting gig, in general). Normally, emotions like nervousness and uncertainty can be quick to settle in for those new to the craft, but Jaafar, nestled between his observant co-stars, seems to revel in the journey, calling it “an experience of a lifetime.”

In the lead-up to production, Jaafar spent nearly two and a half years working to become his uncle—training with Michael’s choreographers, living in his bedroom in Encino and fully immersing himself in the role. It’s a level of commitment that didn’t go unnoticed. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Long says, while Domingo offers his own stamp of approval: “His work ethic is top-notch, so it was just amazing to watch him be in the center of this every single day.” The result is a performance that is truly special, highlighted by a deep personal connection to the man the actor is portraying.

“[Jaafar] was in it to really give it everything he could,” director Antoine Fuqua says during our phone call. “But not only that, he has the ability to become this character, and I was impressed with that.”

Finding the right person to play Michael Jackson would seem like such a difficult task—someone with the look, the movement, the presence—it should have taken a long search, far and wide, one would think. Instead, the answer was much closer than expected. Jaafar, the son of Michael’s older brother Jermaine, carried a resemblance that went beyond physical appearance. Producer Graham King first noticed it while looking at old family videos. “There was just something very interesting when I was watching him,” he tells me over the phone. King reached out to Jermaine and asked if he could take Jaafar to lunch, and what he encountered in that meeting felt like an audition, as the young actor’s presence and conversation left him convinced he was witnessing something distinct.

“The DNA of Jaafar just felt so powerful that I was stunned—literally stunned—because I’ve known Jermaine for a long time, and I was like, He’s not channeling his father, he’s channeling his uncle,” King says of the interaction, floored by the striking similarities between the two. “I still went out and I auditioned maybe 150 impersonators of Michael, because I told Jaafar I can’t leave any stone unturned,” he adds. It was the training aspect, along with learning the correct mannerisms, and of course, the drive needed to be present, that clinched it. King points out, “there was no question he could become Michael.”

Michael’s relationship with his parents runs throughout much of the film, a dynamic that Domingo and Long lean into. Joe Jackson, who may be seen as the story’s primary antagonist, is presented here in greater depth. For decades, his name has been tied to stories of selfish ambition, control and alleged abuse—accounts that have long informed how he’s been perceived by the masses. The film doesn’t ignore his history, but it does widen the lens, offering a POV on the intentions that guided him, however flawed they may have been.

“The court of public opinion would think of Joe as a villain for whatever reasons,” Domingo reflects. “But when I go through the lens of Joe, through his heart, and through his eyes, I see that he was doing all that he could to make sure that his family was successful, whole, happy and really operated as a unit. So, Joe Jackson… in a way, was, I believe, just an old-school guy, a blue-collar man who wanted the best for his children—the very best.” What he deemed as “the best” for his family didn’t always align with his wife’s approach, but together, their differences set the tone of the household.

Katherine Jackson stands as both a counterpoint and a complement to her husband, tempering his intensity. In the film, where Joe is relentless, she meets his energy with compassion, patience and care. She is a place of solace, especially for Michael, recognizing both his gift and his sensitivity. Katherine, too, wants her children and her family to succeed, but she is equally committed to protecting their sense of self, allowing them space to simply be young, and Long brings all of that to her portrayal. As Fuqua describes it, “Nia understood the spirit of Katherine, of being a mother, that gentleness, that sweetness that she had, but also, some strength when she had to stand up to Joe.”

For Long, her approach came down to one word: connection. “I think in the midst of all the chaos and in the midst of all of the responsibility of just being a mom and having that many children, the most important thing for me as an artist was to create a safe and intimate space to connect, because I think that is what a mother’s love is all about,” she says, tugging on Jaafar’s collar. “And I think Katherine personifies that grace and elegance, and let’s just be real, she’s down for her family.”

And it is family that assists in Michael’s rise and serves as the film’s foundation. Like any family, there are tensions, missteps and moments that aren’t the most positive, but love is something that remains. For the Jacksons, much of that played out in public, opening the door for outside judgment. With Michael, Domingo says, “people are going to get a greater insight,” and a clearer understanding of the family, and the forces that shaped them—an idea that extends into how it all comes together in theaters.

“I just want to add one thing. Right before we started this, we just got the most incredible review,” Domingo interjects prior to the day’s conclusion.

The reaction that Domingo speaks of was from the family’s matriarch, Katherine Jackson herself, whose validation means more than anyone else’s, because it’s coming from the person closest to the story. “I got very emotional, and I was almost shaking a bit,” Jaafar says, reminiscing on the conversation he had with his grandmother. “It was all I wanted to hear. And I told her, ‘Your opinion, your response means everything to me. That’s all I needed—I don’t need anything else.’” After a brief pause, Long adds: “Imagine what she must be feeling, though? To see her grandson telling the story of her son, and just the pride… I’m sure it’s very healing for her, too.”

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Photography: Dalvin Adams @Mr_Dadams
Digital Tech: Victor Alex di Suvero @alexdisuvero
Videographer: Michael Majors @mikemajors
Video Camera Operator: Haffe Acosta @haffenator
Lighting: Sebastian Johnson @Lens_face
Creative Production: Lauren Carothers @laurenpaigecreates of @allworthypeople
Social DP: Michelle Clementine @cinementine
COLMAN
Styling: Wayman + Micah @waymanandmicah
Grooming: Jamie Richmond @Jam_rixh
Barber: Pierce Austin
JAAFAR
Styling: ILARIA URBINATI @ilariaurbinati 
Grooming: WILLIAM CORSO @Bcorso
NIA
Makeup: Keita Moore @kilprity
Hair: Carla Farmer @farmercarla
Styling: The Reismans @thereismans

Special Thanks to @lionsgate

ESSENCE
Editorial Director: Victoria Uwumarogie @ghostwritervic 
Manager, Content Operations: Shelby Stewart @shelbylnstewart
VP, of Social & Special Projects: Kory Jarvis @mentionme 
Visuals Director: Breanna Hall @hashtag_bre
Art Director: Sophia Little @so.lit
Writer: Okla Jones III @coolhandoak