Colman Domingo is not shy about his feelings on the King of Pop. At the Kering Group Women in Motion Dinner at Cannes last night, the actor made one thing crystal clear: Michael Jackson’s legacy is untouchable.
Colman Domingo Calls Michael Jackson the Greatest Performer of All Time
In an interview with Variety, Domingo said Michael Jackson was “truly the greatest performer that has ever walked this planet,” before adding, “And one can’t deny that.”
There is also a reason his statement carried so much weight. Earlier this week, the biographical drama in which Domingo portrays Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson’s father, opened to massive box-office numbers. Released on April 24 in the U.S. by Lionsgate, the film earned $97.2 million domestically and $121.6 million internationally during its opening weekend, pushing its global total to $700 million.
Now that we know why Domingo passionately defended the King of Pop at such a major event, here’s a closer look at his involvement in the project and how he approached playing Joe Jackson, a figure with whom Michael famously had a complicated relationship.
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How Domingo Approached Playing Joe Jackson
Domingo was cast as Joe Jackson in January 2024, alongside Nia Long as Katherine Jackson and Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, in the lead role.
As many fans know, Joe Jackson remains one of the most controversial figures in music history. While he played a major role in building the career of arguably the biggest pop star of all time, several of his children accused him of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse over the years.
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Speaking to Collider ahead of the film’s release, Domingo explained the challenge of portraying such a complicated figure:
“You didn’t want to feel like you were doing mask work or playing it too big,” he said. “If anything, I needed to look for more subtlety in my performance. The makeup is doing so much, so I have to go deeper and find even more nuances within this character. That was the joy and the challenge at the same time.”
As previously announced, Domingo will continue exploring stories about music legends later this year with his directorial debut, Unforgettable, a biopic about Nat King Cole that he also co-wrote.
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