Inside The Life of Jaafar Jackson | Model Girlfriend, Mansion & Super Cars – dw
I’m Jaafar Jackson. I am an actor. I portray Michael Jackson in the new film Michael. Jaafar Jackson grew up inside one of the most famous families in history. I have I have such a big family, so we’d have great times at you know Neverland or he we’d have family day at at Hayvenhurst when he’d come come over there and it was there was just so much love and and enjoy in those moments and we were all just playing around not realizing you know what was really going on, but just having fun.
He spent years secretly preparing to become Michael Jackson on screen. He’s been with the same woman for years and lives a life that rarely makes headlines. Yet despite carrying one of the biggest names in entertainment, he’s still a mystery to most people. So who is Jaafar Jackson when the camera stop rolling? So this was the first room I came in when I started to learn all the moves of of Michael’s or just to begin.
And uh I really start at the basics. Before anyone knew him as the actor playing Michael Jackson, he was just Michael’s nephew. Some of his earliest memories aren’t about concerts or cameras. They’re about family gatherings where Michael wasn’t performing for the world. He was simply Uncle Michael spending time with the people closest to him.
Those are the memories that stayed with Jaafar long before acting ever became part of his life and long before acting entered the picture. I remember just growing up and we would have family time, you know, there he Michael would come over uh to where I was growing up at Hayvenhurst and we’d have some some days where we’d all get together, play uh family game day.
We’d have wonderful times at Neverland and and just playing hide and go seek, eating as much candy, going on rides, watching movies. Later, when Jaafar is asked about his favorite memory of Michael, you can tell he isn’t thinking about the superstar everyone else remembers. He’s thinking about the uncle he grew up with. The way he talks about those memories feels personal, not rehearsed.
The stories he shares are simple, but they’re the kind of quiet everyday moments the public never got to see. Instead of remembering a global icon, he’s remembering someone who was simply family, and that’s what makes those memories feel even more genuine. What is your most most favorite memory of Michael Jackson? My favorite memory, um, I’d say as a as a child just being in Neverland and with my family, just having eating a lot of food, going on the rides, playing hide and go seek, watching movies, playing games. All those memories I’ll
forever cherish, I’d say. For years, almost nobody knew who he was, which is surprising when you remember who his family is. Most people expected another Jackson to step into the spotlight early. That never happened. So, where was he? The answer isn’t what most people expect. Before music, Jaafar had a completely different dream.
He wanted to become a professional golfer, and for a long time, that’s where nearly all of his attention and effort was focused. Jaafar Jackson’s focus turned to music forever, and now he’s working on his first album, it’s called Famous, and he’s here to tell us all about it, and you’re going to perform. Yes. Which is even better. Good to see you.
Good to see you as well. Thank you. 23 now, but you we talked about it, you wanted to be a golfer. Yes, I grew up playing golf. That was my focus throughout my whole life up until the age of 13. Eventually, that dream faded, but it didn’t instantly turn him into a singer, either. Music happened slowly.
It started because his father encouraged him to give it a try. The more time he spent writing and producing, the more he realized he genuinely enjoyed it. There wasn’t a big announcement or a move when he suddenly decided to follow the family business. It happened naturally, one step at a time, as his interest in music continued to grow.
I actually grew up playing golf. Wow. I wasn’t into music until the age of 13. I was playing golf every day. I was getting coached, and then my father gave me a Jackson 5 song called Touch Oh. to practice. He said, “I want you to learn this song and sing it in and sing it in front of me in 2 weeks from now.
” Even then, he still wasn’t chasing attention. While people wondered why another Jackson wasn’t making headlines, Jaafar was mostly working behind the scenes. He spent years writing music, producing, and improving his craft without trying to become famous or draw attention to himself.
Looking back, that decision probably changed everything. While everyone thought Jaafar had disappeared, he was quietly getting ready for the opportunity that would eventually change his life. Eventually, all those quiet years led to a phone call that changed everything. It was a multi-year process.
It wasn’t just a traditional audition. I I definitely had to to earn the role for a a 2-year process, really. When Jaafar was being considered to play Michael Jackson, it sounded like the perfect role for someone from the Jackson family. But it wasn’t. Playing Michael meant stepping into the shoes of one of the most recognizable people who have ever lived.
Every movement, every expression, every word, and every small detail would be compared to the real Michael. Before anyone trusted him with that responsibility, he had to prove he could truly do it. Learning all the moves and dancing and I mean yeah, just to know I got the part, yeah. Oh, really? Yeah. Before you even got the part, too? Before I even officially got the part.
And then and then I had some more time to really hone in on the details knowing I have the part, yeah. Getting the audition was only the beginning. For months, almost nobody knew what Jaafar was doing behind the scenes. While the movie was being prepared, he quietly disappeared into the role.
Nearly all of his time and energy went into studying Michael, making sure every part of the performance felt as believable as possible. So, we broke down frame by frame the Billie Jean performance from Motown 25. And that was the first uh set of choreography I started to learn throughout the process. And I had 20 days to kind of prove to them and and the filmmakers that I can pull it off within those 20 days.
Even though in my mind I was like, “20 days? I I How can I do that? I need a lot more time.” And And within that time, I I was very doubtful, and it was incredibly challenging. One of the biggest challenges wasn’t the dancing, it was the voice. Michael’s voice is instantly recognizable, and Jaafar knew people would notice even the smallest mistake.
Every word and every tone had to sound right. So, instead of trying to imitate him, he spent months working until speaking as Michael started to feel completely natural and effortless. Speaking of transformations, I mean, how long did it take to nail You have a very different speaking voice than your uncle.
Like, I’m like, that’s How long did it take to master that? It was It’s very particular. It was interesting cuz at first, it was very silly to my own ears, you know, I was trying to do it. So, I really read a lot of books uh in his voice. And I I Each book I got better, basically. And then, you know, you get more used to it.
And sometimes, I’d be out like in a grocery store, and I’d be talking to someone, but I’d naturally respond, and I’m like, “Wait, that’s kind of kind of like Michael.” But, I wasn’t trying to do it intentionally. So, I had to get to that that place where I wasn’t thinking about it, like, putting it on.
It would just come out naturally. But, sounding like Michael wasn’t enough. He wanted to understand the person behind the performances. That meant watching interviews, studying different periods of Michael’s life, and paying attention to the little things most people never notice. The goal wasn’t to copy him.
It was to understand why he moved, spoke, and carried himself the way he did. The better he understood the person, the more authentic the performance became. To emulate for me, it all started with with uh the foundation. So, I study a lot of the Jackson 5, and then the when they became the Jacksons, and just to see really focusing on Michael and how he was feeling in those moments, also creatively, what he wanted to express, and that longing for that independence and what that felt like, but also
treating as a group and and what that brought out. But, in particular, it was important for me to understand the human side of Michael and that individual side of him that not a lot of people were familiar with. The deeper he went, the more personal the preparation became. It wasn’t just old videos anymore.
He surrounded himself with books, photographs, handwritten notes, and timelines, building a space where Michael became part of his everyday life. Instead of rushing through the research, he lived with it for months, constantly learning something new every single day. For me, it was really looking into his own his personal writings, his personal journaling, and that was truly informative to allow me into his mindset of how he was feeling, of what he wanted to achieve, you know, his some goals he had written
down and created this timeline room of of so much information that really allowed me to stay grounded and and and not get lost in the works. I really needed to see it, you know, with my own eyes. And that really informed me even with the script, so I knew where each, you know, timeline was and I understood what what he was feeling.
Also, his personal notes allowed me to to do that and place it in that time. Then came the part nobody could do for him. Hour after hour, he practiced alone, no audience, no cameras, just repetition until every movement stopped feeling rehearsed and started feeling natural.
Day after day, he kept refining every detail until those movements became second nature. I think once I had that that time afterwards, after those 20 days, taking that time to Havenhurst and setting up mirrors in the same dancing room Michael would train in, I think that really was a spiritual journey for me, just to be in that same energy, to sit in that space, but also just to dance for hours and hours every day.
Looking back, it’s easy to think everything happened quickly. It didn’t. Long before filming ever started, Jaafar had already spent years preparing without knowing if he’d ever get the chance to play Michael at all. Every step forward came without any guarantee, and even after he landed the role, the real work was only beginning.
It was a process that was almost 2 years. Just the auditioning. And that’s before I even knew I was really going to play him. Then after that I had like another year and a half to really hone in on the little details and nuances and and with that confidence knowing that I have the role.
But the part the auditioning process was was very very challenging. There was one more part of Michael that completely changed the way JaFar approached the role. It wasn’t something he could simply learn overnight. As filming got closer, it became something he carried with him every single day during production, and something that shaped the way he approached every scene.
I realized that he would do mantras, affirmations, and his belief in manifestation was was incredible. I didn’t realize that about him until I really, you know, really dived into it. And write everything he wanted to achieve. He write it down. He would repeat it. He he even meditate for 30 minutes and just look at those mantras and repeat it back to back.
He put on mirrors. He put on the ceiling. So he can see it every day and it really was like his pursuit to greatness. So I applied that same work ethic and his that same belief with how I was preparing going towards shooting. And it was it was very incredible just to see what those notes were saying.
By the time he finally stepped in front of the cameras, years of preparation had already happened behind closed doors. Countless hours of practice, research, and repetition had all led to that moment. What audiences saw on screen was only the final result. Almost nobody saw everything it took to get there, or how much work happened long before filming ever began.
I was rehearsing for um a couple years privately a lot of my own and then with Rich and Tone who were the choreographers of Michael. But mainly on my own in the mirror. And I I I just couldn’t wait to have a crowd or the film crew to do it in front of. So, it was that built-up excitement for for a long time.
So, when the time it all on the stage, I guess. Oh, yeah. Left all that on the stage, absolutely. After spending all that time preparing for Michael, one place started meaning even more to Jaafar. Havenhurst. He’s talked about it in several interviews, and you can tell it isn’t just another famous house to him.
It’s where he grew up. It’s where a lot of his memories with Michael come from. So, by the time he started getting ready for the movie, being back there felt completely different. It wasn’t just a filming location anymore. It was a place filled with personal memories that meant even more than before.
Being able to work at Havenhurst and practically live there, it changed everything for me in the sense of being able to feel Michael’s spirit there and also embody him. At the same time, have past memories come as I grew up there. And one of the reasons I wanted to come back was because when I grew up here, there’s so much history here.
But, I thought it was very important to to start back where I grew up and where Michael spent a lot of his time. So, that was crucially important to me to be in that environment in the same energy he was living in and feeling that. And even though I I’m alone here most of the time, and sometimes it feels uh too quiet, but then that’s when I just blast music, you know, Michael’s music or classical music that he would play.
And it fills the house with that that that sense of joy and and comfort again. And Havenhurst isn’t the only place that means something to the family. You’ve probably seen the Jackson family’s old home in Indiana before, but it’s different hearing someone from the family walk through it. The photos are still there.
The instruments are still there. Even a lot of the personal belongings have been kept. It gives you a better idea of where everything started long before the fame and why those places still matter so much to the family today. This is the house we grew up in. Yeah. That’s right. This house was pretty much the beginning of uh who we became, but it all started here.
All the morals and the principles and the belief in God and this it all started here. The house, which is still owned by the Jacksons, holds relics of the time it housed 11 members of the family before their move to California in 1969. There’s baby pictures. Oh, yeah. There was Michael and I. That’s Michael and I.
Furniture. Yeah, we had triple bunks. And then there was another one you can slide up under there and pull it out and pops up. Plus instruments and other memorabilia from their groundbreaking career. I have a lot of uh pride and love for the family legacy and the foundation that they did and built off of their own like sweat, blood, sweat, and tears.
Probably the coolest part of Hayvenhurst, though, is Michael’s studio. A lot of it has been left almost exactly the way it was. This is where Michael spent years recording music and now it’s also a place where Jaafar works on his own songs. It’s a pretty unique connection between the two of them and you can easily see why that room means so much to him.
It’s one of the few places where their creative journeys naturally overlap. This is the recording studio that Michael had built where he created the demos for the Thriller album. This room has so much history in it. It’s very inspiring. But, I didn’t really get to appreciate this room until many, many years later after I really when I once I came back uh like right now and and the many months prior to this I’ve had the the privilege of being able to be in this room, stay in this room and even dance in the the recording
booth over there which when I first came back, that’s where I started to dance. So, this was the first room I came in when I started to learn all the moves of of Michael’s or just to begin. While he was getting ready for Michael, there was another room that became just as important. Instead of music equipment, it was filled with books, old interviews, photos, and pages of handwritten notes.
Most fans didn’t even know she existed. Unlike a lot of celebrities, Jaafar has never shared much about his relationships. He rarely talks about them in interviews, and you won’t find him constantly posting about his private life online. That’s one reason so many people were surprised to learn he’d been in a long-term relationship.
The person who’s been by his side is singer Maddie Simpson. The two have been together for years, long before Jaafar became known around the world for playing Michael Jackson. Even though their relationship has lasted for such a long time, they’ve kept almost all of it away from the spotlight. Instead of sharing every moment online, they only make the occasional public appearance together.
That’s why every time they’re seen on a red carpet or at an event, fans immediately start talking about them because those appearances are so rare. Away from movie sets and interviews, Jaafar seems to keep his taste in cars just as understated as everything else. He’s been seen driving a Range Rover Autobiography for everyday use, along with a few sports cars.
Nothing too flashy, but the kind of collection you’d expect from someone who appreciates performance as much as comfort. Just like the rest of his lifestyle, it reflects a preference for keeping things simple rather than showing off. It changed everything for me in the sense of being able to feel Michael’s spirit there and also embody him.
Unexpectedly, some of the most memorable cars he’s driven haven’t even belonged to him. While filming Michael, he spent plenty of time behind the wheel of vintage cars used to recreate different moments from Michael Jackson’s life. In one scene, he even climbs onto a moving car to recreate one of Michael’s famous encounters with fans.
It’s another example of just how much detail went into bringing those moments back to life. I feel very very great, in a great mood, have some great confidence. I’m feeling sharp in this But cars have never really been the first thing people notice about Jaafar. It’s usually the way he presents himself.
As Jaafar has become more recognizable, people have naturally started paying attention to his style, too. Whether he’s walking a red carpet, doing interviews, or posing for a magazine shoot, he usually keeps things simple. You’ll see him in tailored suits at premieres, more relaxed outfits for photo shoots, and every now and then, a designer piece that catches people’s attention.
Even with all that, he never looks like he’s trying too hard. All set and done. And look, now we have the outfit. It is finally here. Wow. This beautiful. This really excites me because it it I love the detailing and the the crest. I’ve always loved the crest and the patches. That’s just I know Michael loved it all always with his outfits and it’s something I found a fun love of as well.
Over the past couple of years, he’s also appeared in more fashion campaigns and editorial shoots, giving fans a chance to see a different side of him outside the Michael movie. Whether it’s a magazine feature, a brand campaign, or a photo shoot, each appearance has shown a little more of his personal style.
From luxury watches to subtle jewelry, the details change depending on the occasion, but his overall look has stayed pretty consistent. It’s polished without feeling overdone, stylish without trying too hard, and it seems to reflect the same quiet confidence he brings to the rest of his public image. Now, we got to clear the carpet.
Tell his people. Jaafar, all the way left, PLEASE. JAFAR, WAY LEFT. But no matter what he’s wearing, one question still comes up more than anything else. What’s next for Jaafar Jackson? Playing Michael Jackson introduced Jaafar to millions of people almost overnight. But if you listen to his interviews, it’s pretty clear he doesn’t see this as the finish line.
He still wants to keep acting. He’s continuing to work on his own music. And with Michael 2 confirmed to continue the story, there’s a good chance audiences haven’t seen the biggest chapter of his career yet. There’s more stories to tell with Michael Jackson. Have you kicked around ideas to to take his life beyond this this film? Not at all.
I definitely been thinking about some things. We’ll see We’ll see what happens. See how Jaafar, you got more in you? it goes. I absolutely do, yeah. At the same time, he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want his career to stop with one role. As incredible as it is to play Michael Jackson, Jaafar has his own goals beyond the movie.
He wants to take on new projects, tell different stories, and build a career that stands on its own. That probably explains why one comment from him has stuck with so many fans. No matter what happens with Michael 2, it’s clear he wants people to recognize him for more than just a single performance. And maybe that’s the most interesting part of Jaafar Jackson’s story.
He grew up carrying one of the biggest names in entertainment. Now he’s trying to build one of his own, whether it’s through acting, music, or whatever comes next. That journey is only just getting started. I would think he’d be most proud of jeez, I don’t know. The performances, I would say.
