Jaafar Jackson has once again made it clear that he has no interest in just playing a caricature of the King of Pop. According to the actor, the role of Michael Jackson was about finding the human side, and bringing him to life without understanding his inner world would not feel right.
Jaafar Jackson says Michael Jackson’s personal journals changed his approach
Speaking about the process of preparing for the biopic, Jackson said the ending of his research was always meant to be about the person behind the legend.
“I was given a lot of Michael’s personal drawings and a lot of personal journaling at the same time,” Jackson explained.
He added that once he started reading the private notes, it made his connection to the role even easier. “It really surprised me to see a lot of affirmations that he would, on a daily, place around his bedroom, in the bathroom, in the mirror.”
For Jackson, the performance is inseparable from the specific mindset Michael had during his biggest hits.
He has repeatedly said he has no interest in just copying dance moves without knowing what the singer was feeling while creating certain albums. In his view, any version of the story that ignores those personal expressions would simply fall short.
Jackson has also become more outspoken about how the role changed his own habits. He and the production team reportedly looked at how those daily affirmations evolved throughout the singer’s life.
Recently, Jackson joked that his answer to how he stayed focused on set was to start copying those same rituals. Despite the humor, he said he truly believes that too many actors ruin their performances by not finding a way to pinpoint exactly what they want to achieve.
“Absolutely, I do,” Jackson said about his own journaling. “It was something I started to apply to my own process while embodying him, but I still do it to this day, and I think a lot of people should do it.”
Instead, Jackson believes the habit of writing things down remains the perfect way to put in the work and stay grounded.
Although the filming has wrapped, Jackson has continued carrying those lessons with him in other ways. He sees the habit of journaling as a companion to his career rather than a replacement for his old routines.
Jackson is also reportedly working on a new retrospective project titled Embodying the Legend, which is expected to be released in 2026 and look back at the making and legacy of the film.
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