Jaafar Jackson kept playing Michael a secret from family for a Year; says, ‘It was very emotional for my mom’

Actor Jaafar Jackson revealed that he kept his casting as his late uncle, Michael Jackson, in the upcoming biopic 'Michael' a secret from his family including his mother for an entire year, according to People.

Speaking to costar Miles Teller, Jaafar, 29, said, "Even in the process of preparing for it, I didn't tell her for a full year." Teller asked, "What do you mean? When you booked it, you didn't tell her?" Jaafar replied, "No. No one in my family knew for a full year. I kept it pretty quiet until I felt comfortable enough to share it. But when my mom saw it on-screen, it blew her away. It was hard for her to connect it to me, so it was very emotional for her," according to People.

The actor, son of Jermaine Jackson of The Jackson 5, makes his acting debut portraying Michael Jackson in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film. He added that watching the movie with his mother was "a full body experience" and revealed, "My father hasn't seen it yet, and I can't wait for that... It definitely shows a side of me that my mom hasn't seen."The biopic also stars Teller as Michael's lawyer and manager, John Branca, Colman Domingo as Michael's father and manager, Joe, Nia Long as Michael's mother Katherine, and Kat Graham as Motown star Diana Ross. Jaafar described his first viewing of the finished film as eye-opening. "As soon as it came on, it was a completely different experience than what I thought it was going to be. It went by so fast. I was like, 'Wait, that's it?' But the second time I saw it was a completely different experience," he said, according to People.

Michael is set to release in theaters on Friday, April 24, 2026.