Thirty-year-old Jaafar Jackson, nephew of the «King of Pop» Michael Jackson and the star of the singer’s biopic, is the cover star of the latest issue of GQ Middle East.

In the interview, the actor opened up about the three years he spent embodying his famous uncle and candidly admitted that the experience significantly changed the way he views his own music career.

According to Jaafar, preparing for the role was far from easy. He tried to understand Michael as deeply as possible, with the singer’s personal writings playing a particularly important role in that process. Jaafar had access to Jackson’s diaries, which helped him see the legendary performer not only as a global superstar, but as a person with dreams, doubts and a very direct outlook on life.

«Many of those entries were written almost through the eyes of a child — very adventurous, naive and inspired», the actor said.

One particular note stayed with Jaafar. It read: «As soon as I step outside, I want 10,000 people to freeze in place and just look at me».

The three years he spent portraying the legendary musician also had an impact on Jackson himself. The actor admitted that working on the biopic even changed his attitude toward his own musical ambitions.

Jaafar is a musician himself, but he confessed that after the experience of working on the biopic, it has become difficult for him to imagine performing onstage in the same way under his own name.

«I got the best I could possibly get as an artist onstage — as Michael. Doing the same thing as Jaafar would just be strange», he said.

The actor also reflected on a possible sequel to the biopic. He hopes the second installment will allow audiences to see the events more clearly from Michael Jackson’s perspective.

In his view, this is particularly important given the numerous allegations that have surrounded the musician’s name for decades.

«I think the second film will give even more understanding from his point of view, because ultimately all the allegations always came from someone else. It’s someone else’s story, someone else’s idea of what happened, largely dictated by a certain agenda. And Michael’s voice was not heard», the artist said.

At the same time, Jaafar is not revealing any specific details about the future script. All that is currently known is that production on the sequel is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027. There is no confirmed release date yet.

Photo: gqmiddleeast.com

The biographical drama «Michael», dedicated to the life and legacy of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has set a new record. The film has officially crossed the historic $1 billion mark in worldwide box office revenue, becoming the most successful biopic in cinematic history.

According to Variety, the movie earned $629.8 million internationally and an additional $371.8 million in the United States, bringing its total global gross to $1.001 billion.

Since its highly anticipated premiere in April, the biopic has steadily outperformed the genre’s biggest titles. Previously, the all-time record among music biopics belonged to the acclaimed hit «Bohemian Rhapsody», which grossed an impressive $911 million worldwide.

«Michael» has now surpassed not only that milestone but also Christopher Nolan’s «Oppenheimer», which concluded its theatrical run with a worldwide total of $975 million.

The film’s remarkable success also marks a historic achievement for Lionsgate. «Michael» has officially become the highest-grossing release in the studio’s history and the first Lionsgate-exclusive production to reach the coveted $1 billion milestone. The company’s previous record holders were «The Hunger Games: Catching Fire» with $865 million and «The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2» with $850 million.

The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua, while the role of the legendary performer was played by his nephew, Jaafar Jackson.

Photo: Screen