Jaafar Jackson: how was he chosen to play Michael?
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Who is Jaafar Jackson, the actor who plays Michael in the biopic? How did he land the role, and why did the producers choose him?
Profile
Full name: Jaafar Jackson
Date of birth: July 25, 1996
Place of birth: Los Angeles, United States
Background: African American and Colombian
Occupation: American singer and actor
Jaafar Jackson is the son of Jermaine Jackson, a former member of the Jackson 5, and Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza. He is also Michael Jackson’s nephew and is one of 11 siblings.
A music career before acting
Before being chosen to portray Michael Jackson on screen, Jaafar was primarily pursuing a career in music.
In 2019, he released his first single, Got Me Singing, accompanied by a music video. A dancer since childhood, he has also played the piano since the age of twelve.
Among his main musical influences, he cites:
Marvin Gaye
Sam Cooke
Stevie Wonder
Before the Michael biopic, he notably appeared in:
the reality TV series The Jacksons: Next Generation (2015);
Tito Jackson’s Love One Another music video (2021).
His film debut with Michael
Contrary to what one might expect, Jaafar Jackson was not chosen through a traditional audition process.
According to Jaafar himself, it all began when he learned from an article that producer Graham King had secured the rights to make a biopic about Michael Jackson.
At the time, Jaafar was primarily focused on music and was not considering a career as an actor.
Soon afterward, Graham King contacted him and asked whether he had ever acted before. Jaafar said he had not and explained that he was more interested in composing music for films.
The two then met for lunch. Graham King told him about the project and asked whether he would consider taking on the role with the help of an acting coach.
Jaafar took a few days to think about it. If he was going to accept the challenge, he wanted to commit to it seriously rather than take part simply “to give it a try.”
After hearing nothing following their meeting, he decided to send Graham King a voice message in which he imitated Michael Jackson’s voice and performed a song from Peter Pan that Michael had once sung informally.
Impressed, King immediately called him back and told him he would find him an acting coach.
This marked the real beginning of Jaafar’s training as an actor.
Two years of preparation
For nearly two years, Jaafar underwent intensive training.
During the first year, he worked with acting coach Angela Gibbs on scenes from plays and films to learn the fundamentals of acting.
Later, he began working directly on scenes from the Michael screenplay. All of his performances were recorded so that Graham King could follow his progress.
At the same time, he continued intensive vocal and dance training.
Even while Jaafar was preparing for the role, the production announced an international casting search to find an actor to portray Michael Jackson. The decision pushed him to work even harder.
Why did the producers choose him?
On January 30, 2023, Lionsgate officially announced that Jaafar Jackson had been cast in the role.
“I met Jaafar over two years ago and was blown away by the way he organically personifies the spirit and personality of Michael. It was something so powerful that even after conducting a worldwide search, it was clear that he is the only person to take on this role.”
According to Graham King and Antoine Fuqua, several factors worked in Jaafar’s favor:
his physical resemblance to Michael Jackson;
his vocal abilities;
his dance experience;
his understanding of Michael;
his ability to capture Michael’s presence and energy on screen.
Antoine Fuqua also said that Jaafar has a natural ability to emulate Michael Jackson, as well as a remarkable presence in front of the camera.
How did Jaafar Jackson prepare to become Michael Jackson?
Understanding the man behind the artist
Before even beginning work on the choreography or songs, Jaafar set out to understand Michael Jackson as a person.
He studied the Jackson 5 and The Jacksons eras, built a detailed timeline of Michael’s life, and gathered extensive research material.
His goal was to understand Michael’s emotions, motivations, and view of the world.
Gaining access to Michael’s personal writings proved to be a crucial part of the process. In an interview with Interview Magazine, he explained:
“What really helped me was having access to Michael’s personal writings. His journal, his poems, his mantras and affirmations.”
These documents helped him gain a deeper understanding of Michael’s sensitivity and his desire to make a positive impact on the world through his music.
Intensive physical training
To prepare for the musical sequences, Jaafar worked with Rich and Tone, former dancers and choreographers for Michael Jackson.
One of his first challenges was recreating the Billie Jean performance from Motown 25.
An intensive twenty-day training period was arranged, but Jaafar quickly realized that he would need much more time to master every detail of the performance.
In total, he spent more than a year working on this performance alone before moving on to the other songs featured in the film.
Some of the most difficult elements to recreate included:
the moonwalk;
the spin;
the timing of the movements;
the precision of the footwork;
dancing in loafers.
The importance of costumes
Jaafar explained that he felt a real transformation when he began working with the costumes.
He trained with:
gloves;
fedora hats;
military-style jackets;
the famous black loafers.
According to Jaafar, the glove almost acted like a piece of armor, helping him step into Michael’s character.
One of the biggest challenges was performing the movements while wearing the trousers. When doing the kicks, he made sure to stretch properly to avoid injuring his muscles.
He also discovered how much importance Michael placed on the way his clothes moved in his short films and during his stage performances.
The Hayvenhurst experience
An important part of his preparation took place at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family home in Encino.
Jaafar set up a workspace there and spent long periods studying the role.
In an interview with Interview Magazine, he told his co-star Miles Teller:
“I slept in different rooms in the house to feel the energy. I was incredibly fortunate to have that place as a playground. Staying there allowed things to happen naturally. Without it, I honestly don’t think my performance would have been the same.”
During this period, Katherine Jackson told him that she was particularly proud of the work he had done, giving him an additional boost of confidence before filming began.
Quotes from Jaafar Jackson
At the Los Angeles premiere of Michael:
“I knew I had to make my family proud.”
“I knew I had to have an incredible work ethic and approach everything the same way Michael would have.”
On Instagram, when his casting was announced:
“I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life.”
“To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon.”
Sources
Articles
CARUSO, Skyler; STUTSMAN, Samantha; RUDOLPH, Christopher. “Meet Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s Nephew and Star of Michael.” People, April 24, 2026.
→ Profile of Jaafar Jackson covering his career, his relationship with Michael Jackson, his preparation for the role, and his family’s reactions to his performance.
Read the People articleCARUSO, Catherine. “Who Is Jaafar Jackson? All About Michael Jackson’s Nephew and His Starring Role in the Michael Movie.” Biography.com, April 21, 2026.
→ Profile of Jaafar Jackson covering his background, his relationship with Michael, the casting process, and his preparation for the role.
Read the Biography.com articleTELLER, Miles. “Jaafar Jackson Tells Miles Teller How He Unlocked the King of Pop.” Interview Magazine, April 6, 2026.
→ A particularly important primary source: Jaafar discusses the casting process himself, his preparation, his use of Michael’s personal writings, his work on Michael’s voice and movements, and his approach to portraying his uncle’s personality.
Read the Jaafar Jackson interviewAssociated Press. “Michael Jackson’s Nephew to Star in King of Pop Biopic,” January 30, 2023.
→ A contemporary source from the time Jaafar’s casting was announced, featuring statements from Graham King, Antoine Fuqua, and Katherine Jackson about the decision to cast him as Michael.
Read the Associated Press article
Videos and documentaries
GQ. “Becoming Michael with Jaafar Jackson,” April 23, 2026.
→ An in-depth video interview in which Jaafar discusses his transformation for the role: the casting process, his research into Michael, his training, costumes, movements, and preparation for the role.
Watch the GQ interviewThe Making of Michael – “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”, 2026.
→ A behind-the-scenes look at the recreation of Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough and Jaafar Jackson’s work to reproduce Michael’s movements and performance.
Who is Jaafar Jackson?
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