Colman Domingo and Joe Jackson.Photo:Momodu Mansaray/FilmMagic; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Momodu Mansaray/FilmMagic; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Colman Domingowants to portray a “complex version” ofMichael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, in the upcoming biopic about the King of Pop.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the African American Film Critics Association Awards on Wednesday, Domingo, who is nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal ofcivil rights activist Bayard RustininRustin,says filming on the movieMichael, which is currently underway, is “going well.”
“I’m having a good time with it,” he adds. “Right now I seem to be on the track of interrogating some of these real-life human beings. I want to find their humanity, I want to find their heart and their humor. It may go against public opinion sometimes, but I think that’s my responsibility to find the complex version of these people.”
Indeed, the Jackson family patriarch —who died in 2018 at age 89— was a stern parent who had a complicated relationship with his 11 children.
Though he nurtured the musical talents of his kids and managed some of their careers, including that of “Thriller” superstar Michael, who died at 50 in 2009, he could also be an imposing figure.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’.Kevin Mazur/ Lionsgate
Kevin Mazur/ Lionsgate
As PEOPLE noted in Joe’s 2018 obituary, his daughterLa Toya Jacksonwrote in her 1991 memoir “that he abused her and terrorized her brothers, often pointing guns at the kids to get their attention.”
In an interview with Winfrey a year after Michael died, Joe said he didn’t regret hitting his children: “It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”
Colman Domingo.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Domingo said in a January press release that he was excited to play the “flawed” Joe and also see Michael’s nephew,Jaafar Jackson, son of Michael’s brother Jermaine, portray the “Bad” singer. “
“After seeing him in rehearsal, my mind was blown. There is something divine about the way that Jaafar is channeling his late uncle. His talent and embodiment of Michael’s essence is simply on another level,” said Domingo.
In addition to Jaafar and Domingo, the cast ofMichaelincludesNia Longas Jackson matriarch Katherine andMiles Telleras entertainment lawyer John Branca, who is credited with helping Michael transition from Jackson 5 boy band member to solo superstar.
Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua directs the film, which has a release date set for April 18, 2025.
source: people.com
