Michael Jackson’s son Prince Jackson revealed he felt emotional seeing his cousin Jaafar dressed as his father, the late pop icon. The highly anticipated biopic based on the generational pop star, Michael, opened in cinemas on April 24. The film opened to huge numbers and is doing well.
Michael Jackson’s son Prince reveals his reaction to seeing Jaafar as the popstar for the first time
In an interview with ABC News, Prince Jackson recalled being very moved upon seeing Jaafar portray his father in Michael. Prince, who also served as an executive producer on the film, revealed he was “blown away” by Jaafar’s portrayal of the King of Pop.
Prince said it was one of the “greatest experiences” of his life. Talking about his cousin, he stated, “Making home movies to now — here we are, making a major motion picture about my father, his uncle, someone we both love very much.”
Continuing further, he shared, “I had the benefit of seeing Jaafar’s transformation over pictures I’d seen on a phone or a computer. But the first time that I saw him in person in his hair and makeup, was really an emotional shock.”
Prince only had words of praise for Jaafar, who embodied Michael Jackson’s essence to perfection. He gushed, “I had not seen my father in a long time. Jaafar just embodied him and brought him back in that moment. It was difficult to maintain and keep composure because I really just wanted to give him a hug in that moment. But I had to tell him, ‘Jaafar, I’m proud of you. You’re going to do great. But I need to take a little step outside and get some air.'”
Furthermore, Prince also confessed that their family’s reaction to the biopic has been “overwhelmingly positive.” Additionally, he admitted that family members visited the set during filming. “From the beginning, as a family… we were every bit confident that Jaafar would perform. I’m happy to say that I think Jaafar greatly exceeded our expectations,” Prince shared.
Originally reported by Anwaya Mane on Mandatory.
