‘Michael’ Star Jaafar Jackson Shares Heartbreaking Final Words from Uncle Michael
Michael Jackson’s legacy continues to captivate audiences globally, even more than fifteen years after his passing. Few projects have managed to honor that legacy as profoundly as Lionsgate’s biopic ‘Michael.’ Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film has become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time, amassing over $1.02 billion worldwide and establishing Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, as a significant talent beyond mere casting.
This success has opened the door for a sequel, prompting Jaafar to reflect on the deeply personal journey of portraying his uncle. In an interview with GQ Middle East for the magazine’s September cover story, Jaafar discussed his three-year transformation into Michael, highlighting the emotional burden of representing someone he regarded as family.
One poignant memory Jaafar shared was from a family dinner in Beverly Hills, celebrating his grandparents Joe and Katherine’s wedding anniversary. During this gathering, Michael was excited about the upcoming This Is It concerts in London and had invited the entire family to join. As Jaafar was leaving that night, Michael’s last words to him were, “See you in July.” Tragically, Michael passed away just two months later, making that dinner the final time Jaafar saw his uncle.
Jaafar described that evening as quietly special, recalling how he sat across from Michael and his father, Jermaine Jackson, as the two brothers sang a cappella together. He felt more like an observer than a participant, a detail that underscores how ordinary that final night felt at the time, despite its profound significance in retrospect.
This memory gains further importance as Jaafar envisions the direction of the upcoming sequel. He confirmed to GQ Middle East that a follow-up film is officially in the works, expressing a desire for it to present Michael’s perspective on the controversies and allegations that clouded the latter part of his life.
Jaafar emphasized that Michael’s narrative has often been told through the lens of others, stating that the allegations have “always [been] from someone else’s” viewpoint rather than Michael’s own. He believes this lack of perspective has been a significant gap in the public discourse, asserting that it comes down to “not having Michael’s voice being heard.”
Jaafar’s portrayal in the first film was informed by direct access to his uncle’s journals and personal notes. He discovered entries that revealed Michael’s childlike wonder and ambition, including one note where Michael expressed a desire for crowds to stop and watch him, a curiosity Jaafar believes Michael maintained throughout his life.
While the sequel’s screenplay is still being developed and Jaafar has acknowledged he won’t have the final say over its direction, his remarks indicate he views the follow-up as a chance to complete a narrative that the first film, which concluded around 1988, intentionally left open. Given the first film’s success at the box office, expectations for how the sequel addresses Michael’s more complex later years are already high.
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