Michael 2 BEHIND THE SCENES Footage – Jaafar Jackson New Look – dw

You know, spending all those hours in the makeup chair and thanks to the incredible Bill Corso who’s the head of makeup on the film, just that process of seeing me slowly transform into Michael was it was emotional. But he really did a lot. And it obviously it’s a combination of the hair, the costumes, you know, the whole look.

His performance obviously is great. But but I did think really hard and take it very seriously like every little thing we could do. And you know, Michael, he just morphs, you know, every time you see him he was a different guy, you know. This is this movie is just the beginning. So, what will we see in the next phase of this? Oh, I’m excited to see.

There’s so much to tell Michael’s story. You can’t fit all into one movie. It’s possible it’s I think impossible to tell in two hours. So, I’m I’m definitely looking forward to to seeing what will come about in that way. And and it’s definitely in the making. Michael Jackson fans are getting a fresh look at what could be coming next as behind-the-scenes footage from Michael 2 gives viewers a closer glimpse of Jaafar Jackson stepping back into the role of his legendary uncle.

But it’s not just the new footage grabbing attention. It’s Jaafar’s latest look which once again has fans talking about just how closely he can capture Michael’s appearance, style, and presence. Cuz you know, it was it was the become full circle to be able to recreate that was really great.

It’s a makeup on top of a makeup, you know, which is very exciting. So, yeah, it was a real treat. The transformation also went far beyond simply changing Jaafar’s hairstyle. Bill Corso and his team had to recreate countless small details that helped Jaafar resemble Michael Jackson during different periods of his life. They adjusted the shape of his nose, chin, jawline, cheeks, eyes, and even subtle facial marks using a combination of makeup and prosthetics.

For different eras, Jaafar could require completely different looks, meaning the team was constantly changing details to match the real Michael from that specific period. Corso has explained that they studied photographs from each era closely and used them as references throughout production. The process became especially demanding because Ja’far had to perform and dance while wearing the makeup.

So, everything needed to remain convincing under intense movement and heat. What audiences see as a seamless transformation was actually the result of hours of extremely precise work behind the scenes. What did you have to do to morph him into Michael because there are different phases of morphing Ja’far into Michael? Different phases.

I mean, you know, I I I was a huge fan of Michael since I was a little kid. And I was a teenager when Thriller came out. I mean, so the very first job I ever got paid to do makeup, I was 16, was to recreate Thriller for a high school talent contest. So, this is a huge come full circle moment for me. But so, I knew Michael really well.

I mean, I knew all his looks really well. And and when I was introduced to Ja’far and Graham King, the producer, was like, “What do you think we can do?” Like, “How close do you think we can get him?” And I go, “Well, let me see.” You know, and I started just designing and figuring out what we could do. And you know, obviously he he evolves through the whole stage of the movie.

I mean, originally we went way farther. And but we we really, you know, did so many little things through him to for each look, you know? I mean, he’s got like 30 looks in the movie. And it’s it’s crazy. But I was surprised how much he looks like him sometimes cuz he he looks a lot like his dad. He looks a lot like his dad, but you really did morph him into Michael.

There are times we forget and we’re watching and we forget. interviewing him and you see him, you’re like, “Well, that’s not the guy on screen.” I mean, he, you know, we we really did a lot One of the biggest challenges for makeup artist Bill Corso was recreating Michael Jackson’s distinctive nose on Ja’far Jackson.

Although Ja’far already looked remarkably similar to his uncle, Corso explained that the nose required particularly careful work because even a small change could dramatically affect the overall resemblance. The goal wasn’t simply to copy Michael’s features, but to make the transformation look natural while preserving Jafar’s expressions and performance.

Getting the shape, proportions, and subtle details right required precision and patience. It was one of those behind-the-scenes details that audiences might never notice on their own, but it played an important role in making Jafar convincingly resemble the King of Pop. What was it like shooting Thriller? Cuz I’ve heard it the night was a full moon, and I I have some friends who actually saw it that night on the set, and they were like, “It was incredible.

It was like otherworldly because it was channeling the the night that they shot it.” It felt like that. It was It was surreal. It’s weird because it was just like going back in time, especially I wasn’t even born in that time. And and for me to to see and look in the mirror and I’m the zombie version of of Michael.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then to see all the zombies around me. Mhm. It made me It was one of my favorite moments, I think, during the duration of filming. So, this is this is the start of their their acting career. Absolutely. This is just the start. So, you went back to Hayvenhurst, and they everybody just came to your house.

Yeah. So, you were like, “I’m home.” Like you could go in the kitchen. When you sat on the couch, everything Yeah, I would wake up there. I’d go down, rehearse, and and when I take a break, I go up, watch films that my uncle would watch, or you know, do different things that would just make me stay in that in that mode.

And I did that for a few about 2 years, I would say. So, you were back at the house living there, basically. Yeah. I I was. Land like this. Yeah. I’m always on the wrong side. The transformation wasn’t limited to Jafar. Young Michael actor Juliano Valdi also required detailed makeup work to make his appearance match the real Michael Jackson as closely as possible.

The team carefully worked on his facial details and even concealed visible marks and scars so they wouldn’t distract from the resemblance on camera. These may seem like tiny details, but they can make a huge difference when recreating someone as recognizable as Michael. And then after I was done, you know, with rehearsing for the day, I’d go home to rehearse more and I’d practice his mannerisms and how he walks and just how he moves his body and stuff.

And so I’m just, you know, I worked really hard for this. I remember my my singing coach, Stephanie, Miss Stephanie Sprowl, she taught me how to vibrato. It’s something that singers do this to make, you know, their voice sound really good. For Ja’far Jackson, becoming Michael Jackson wasn’t simply another acting role. It was an emotional experience.

During his first full transformation in the makeup chair, Ja’far said seeing himself slowly change into his uncle felt surreal and even spiritual. After hours of work with makeup designer Bill Corso, he finally looked in the mirror and saw Michael staring back at him, a moment that hit him emotionally. I 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? Before I even officially got the part, yeah. You’re you’re you’re dressed, hair and makeup looks fantastic as Michael. Do you look in the mirror and go what’s going on or did you go this is surreal? This is my uncle, this is crazy. Oh, 100% absolutely.

It was it was really a surreal a spiritual moment at the same time. But the transformation was only the beginning. Ja’far was also tasked with recreating some of Michael’s most legendary performances, including Thriller. The production went back to the exact location where Michael filmed the original 1983 music video and shot the recreation over two nights.

Ja’far described standing in that same place surrounded by the dancers and the atmosphere of the original video as an incredible experience. Even more remarkably, a full moon appeared during one of those nights, making the moment feel almost perfectly timed. For Ja’far, recreating Thriller wasn’t just about copying the choreography.

It was about stepping into one of the most iconic moments of his uncle’s career and bringing it back to life for a new generation. When you watch it, you have his moves. I mean, you did the work, buddy. You put the You put the work in. You did the homework. Thank you. It’s amazing job. Thank you. It’s not It’s It’s not just the the moonwalk, which, you know, it’s more than that, but that must have been pressured the day that you had to do the moonwalk? Yeah.

Well, see, going into it, I I I always tell myself, “What What should I start on first?” And then I had incredible guidance from Rich and Tone, who are Michael’s actual choreographers that he uh had on tour uh that during the History Tour. Oh my god. So, we broke down uh 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. Behind the scenes of Michael, Jaafar Jackson wasn’t simply playing Michael Jackson.

He was stepping into the world his uncle created. Director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King were there to watch that transformation take shape, from rehearsals and choreography to the recreation of Michael’s legendary performances. What makes the behind-the-scenes footage so fascinating is seeing the moment Jaafar begins to disappear into the role.

Fuqua has spoken about the uncertainty of whether Jaafar could truly pull off such an enormous challenge, but the music started, and Jaafar began performing, those doubts quickly disappeared. Even members of Michael’s original band were stunned by what they saw, with some describing the experience as feeling like stepping into a time machine.

The footage gives fans a rare look at the people behind the film and the incredible effort that went into bringing Michael back to the screen. I never saw my dad perform live. For me, this is the closest I will ever get to seeing my father and my family into it. It was amazing to have some of Michael’s original members come to Washington D.C.

And for them to say this is like giving me chills that I feel like I’m in a time machine. I knew we were on something special. Jonathan Moffett, Michael’s drummer, showed up and he had tears in his eyes. He said, “I can’t believe what I’m watching.” It’s like being in a time capsule. We get to reflect on our life and our careers.

We’ve seen how they’re recreating his story and we’ve been a part of the creation of his story that we lived with him. Pretty remarkable experience. This is pretty emotional to come here and to see everything that’s going on. Because you know, when I got invited, I didn’t really know what to expect. But walking in here just really brought me back to those moments.

It’s such a gas. It’s given me flashbacks and given me a lump in my throat. I was sitting with Vince Patterson and he was wiping the tears away cuz the music is so powerful. Jaafar opens up about what it really took to step into the shoes of his legendary uncle. He admits that playing Michael was an enormous challenge because every movement and every detail mattered.

Working with Michael’s long-time choreographers, Rich and Tone Talauega, Jaafar pushed himself through hours of rehearsal determined to prove that he could recreate some of the most iconic performances in music history. He even recalls dancing until his feet became numb and waking up sore only to push himself back into rehearsal.

But the most emotional moment came when Jaafar finally saw himself completely transformed with Michael’s hair, makeup, wardrobe, and performance style all coming together. He looked in the mirror and realized there was no turning back. For him, the experience was about more than simply impersonating Michael.

It was about understanding his mindset and honoring his legacy. Jaafar’s conversation gives fans a rare glimpse into the dedication, pressure, and emotion behind his transformation into the King of Pop. I knew how challenging this would be to take on playing Michael Jackson. And it was not easy. Definitely wasn’t. Every move matters.

Every detail matters. You can’t just go through a Michael Jackson move casually. I with Rich and Tone who are Michael’s choreographers and we were wondering, can Jaafar really do this? Can he really do the most iconic moves the world has seen? Land like this. Yeah, I’m always on the wrong side. And Jaafar said, “Just give me some time.

” I love challenges and I wanted to prove to myself, my family, and the filmmakers that I I can do this. That control of the weight shift, the smoother it’s going to look. I started to rehearse for hours and hours upon hours until one single move was right. Dancing until my feet would bleed or them go numb.

There’s so many times I would wake up sore but like, should I go rehearse? Should I just take a break and let the body relax? Then another part of my mind be like, no, what would Michael do? The making of Michael reveals just how much work went into turning Jaafar Jackson into the King of Pop. Behind the scenes, Jaafar worked closely with the filmmakers, makeup team, costume designers, and choreographers to recreate Michael’s appearance and unmistakable stage presence.

What makes the transformation so remarkable is that Jaafar already shares a natural family resemblance to his uncle, giving the team a strong foundation to build on. From detailed makeup and prosthetics to Michael’s iconic costumes and choreography, every element had to come together. So I did that for about a year and then I started to really, you know, study Michael’s uh videos, his lyrics, and everything about him and that’s when I started to embody him.

I like to meditate. I like to go over my lines. I just like to think of who he is and I like to watch a lot of his interviews so I could get his mannerisms and his face actions down and uh that’s how I would meditate on a regular day if I had to, you know, go to set to film. I physically couldn’t do it but mentally I was like, I told myself, “I I can’t wait to get better so I can go back and rehearse.

Can’t wait to get better at that one move. I can’t wait to do this. So always was striving for perfection and and wanting to always up myself and and do better do better the next day. So that was something always stayed with me even during shooting. I was still practicing during filming. Jaafar also trained relentlessly to capture Michael’s movements studying his performances and working with choreographers who had firsthand experience with the legendary performer.

The behind-the-scenes footage gives fans a closer look at that process showing Jaafar gradually Michael both physically and through his performance. Even members of Michael’s original band reportedly became emotional when they watched Jaafar perform describing the experience as feeling like stepping into a time machine.

It’s so amazing. This is this is like the most incredible evening for all of us. We’ve worked so hard on this film. All we wanted to do was to honor and celebrate Michael and have a moment to come together and party cuz we’ve all worked so hard and I hear everyone in Berlin likes to party so I’m looking forward to the after party.

But Michael’s legacy has love for humanity, his his commitment to his family, to his brothers, to himself. And that’s what’s beautiful about this film. You’re going to see the process in which he took from becoming a young child star to becoming an adult star and I think, you know, the difference between us and him is that he had millions and millions of people watching him as he was trying to go through the process of self-discovery which is difficult for everyone.

time when I had a a call, you know, with Graham King, the producer. Um he spoke to me about it. I It was so early on. There it was it was a lot to take in. You know, I I’d never acted before. I I’d never wanted to act so I had a lot of uh you know, I was in conflict with it because I wasn’t sure if I can really do it or not.

So then I got with an acting coach and I really want to learn what is acting, you know, and start there before trying to embody Michael. So, I did that for about a year and then I start to really, you know, study Michael’s uh videos, his lyrics, everything about him. And that’s when I start to embody him. According to Jaafar, the second movie will explore a much more complicated period of Michael’s life and most importantly give audiences a deeper understanding of his perspective.

Jaafar said, “It’s someone else’s story. It’s someone else’s idea of what it is and it’s mainly driven by an agenda.” He added that the family’s biggest concern has been not having Michael’s voice being heard, calling that very, very important, especially in the late years. Jaafar also explained why he believes the first movie had to focus on Michael’s early life first.

He said, “This first film focuses on Michael from his roots, explaining that audiences get to understand who he was as a human being first.” And Jaafar hopes that emotional understanding carries into the sequel. Reflecting on Michael’s later years, he said, “Even though he was broken, his heart still stayed the same.

I hope that this is felt in the second movie.” That makes Michael 2 potentially the more controversial chapter, as it could finally tackle the allegations, public scrutiny, and difficult final decades of Michael Jackson’s life while attempting to present his perspective. Antoine Fuqua has already made it clear that Michael Jackson’s story was far too big to fit into a single movie.

While the first Michael ends around the Bad era, Fuqua has revealed that a huge amount of material was filmed that could potentially be used in a sequel. In an interview discussing Michael 2, Fuqua teased the possibility of expanding the story beyond what audiences saw in the first film, including major moments from Michael’s later career.

He has also confirmed that some of the material originally shot for the first movie went much further into Michael’s life than the theatrical version ultimately allowed. That means the sequel could revisit footage and storylines that were left out while continuing into the more complicated chapters of Michael’s life.

With Lionsgate now targeting production for late 2026 or early 2027, Fuqua’s comments make it clear that Michael 2 could be much bigger, darker, and more ambitious than the first film. But I have to ask you, the on-screen message at the end of this movie, his story continues. Exciting, but the Michael Jackson we leave is at his peak in this movie.

However, the Michael that history also remembers went through some things that were complicated. So, how do you even begin to think about honoring that version of him without undoing what you built here with Michael? Well, you with the same integrity. If if that was to happen, it’s with the same integrity, you know, you try to you try to tell the truth as you know it Mhm.

and to do it with integrity. Mhm. And you know, you never you don’t want to sensationalize anything. Right. Right. Um being a movie star, rock star, superstar like Michael is enough of that already. You don’t have to do much. But I think the key is like who was he as a human being? Yeah.

And and just stay on that path and then we’ll be okay cuz that’s what it’s about. Mhm. It’s a biopic. It’s about a human being. He’s a real person. Mhm. You know? So, yeah, that’s the key. Mhm. People have to remember that. Prince Jackson also opened up about the Michael movie.

He spoke about working with his cousin Jaafar Jackson, who takes on the enormous challenge of portraying Michael Jackson on screen. Prince’s connection to the project makes his perspective especially meaningful as he was able to watch Jaafar transform into the man they both knew personally. He also addressed the possibility of a sequel, adding another layer of anticipation for fans who want to see more of Michael’s later years explored on screen.

Prince even reacted to reports that his aunt Janet Jackson could potentially receive her own biopic, showing that the Jackson family’s incredible story may be far from finished on the big screen. I think that, you know, the way the film ends, his story continues. There’s certainly so much more of his history and his story that deserves to be told.

I think that the film was so incredible in the way in which it brought his story to audiences that if we decide and when we decide to do a second film, it needs to be done and I have confidence that it will be done with that same degree of care and respect for it and I’m looking forward to it. Don’t forget to subscribe for more amazing videos and make sure to check out our other videos on the screen.