I’m a white, middle-class guy from London. I’m as shocked as you may be. [Jackson] definitely had an issue — a pigmentation issue — and that’s something I do believe. He was probably closer to my color than his original color … It’s a light comedy look. It’s not in any way malicious. It’s actually endearing.The writing is a delight, and the kind of interaction between the three of them is funny, and also full of pathos. It’s people who are so iconic, but also can be detached. You know, you can get detached from society. So it’s examining that kind of wonderful and mad detachment.”
— White British actor Joseph Fiennes speaking with Entertainment Tonight about his being cast as the late King of Pop in an upcoming BBC film Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon, which looks at the alleged road trip together after they were unable to catch a flight out of New York City due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001
Mike Johnson
please get real it’s nothing more than a modern day menstrual show he has no business playing in black male there plenty of light skin black man who can play the role
Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson
I am for people to boycott watching this movie or anything connected with it
Burt A Dunham
I believe no jabs are given towards MJ, but really?! This is beyond baffling.
Tommy Connelly
Honestly, I don’t really see the problem with this. Even the most light-skinned black actors I can think of are too dark for post surgeries Jackson. I don’t really see it as blackface either, nor would I see a black actor in the role as whiteface. The movie itself already seems like odd what the fuckery, so casting just follows suit honestly.
Michael Golden
I Love it…. Do it Guy.
James Rumsey
I can kinda see it for his later years, are there not any black actors with this condition even not as advanced? I sure hope they don’t try and “black him up” for early year stuff because that would just be wrong.
Hank Trout
Let’s just NOT CARE. Folks, have you read about this production?! It’s a “9/11 drama” about Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando. Now, I ask, do you honestly think anyone is going to watch this train wreck?!
Sand Nierenberg
I would never watch it’s just plain stupid and only stupid people will watch
Lazycrockett
Oh Cmon Latoya could use the work.
Bill Mountrey
BREAKING NEWS: the announcement was wrong. Steve Harvey will play Michael Jackson. Says it right here on this card…..
Ummmm Yeah
I hope he wins a Black Quota Oscar for it.
Ummmm Yeah
I hope he wins a Quota Oscar for it.
Darnell Hill
I don’t see the problem with this casting. MJ lived his latter years as a White Man. This movie is supposed to be about an alleged road trip that MJ took with Liz Taylor shortly after the 9/11 attack.
Captain Obvious
@Tommy Connelly: That’s total bull. Tons of black people including WENTWORTH MILLER are white color wise. I know quite a few black people with white skin.
They simply did not look to cast one. They put out a call for white men specifically to play Michael Jackson and that in itself is stupid.
And calling a black actor lightening their skin to represent a person who either lightened his skin or had a condition that lightened his skin “white face” is just plain ignorant.
White coloration doesn’t belong to Europeans. It comes across all of humanity just like dark brown. There’s no such thing as “white face”. No one used white face paint to systematically and psychologically break down European spirit. Get out of here with that nonsense.
Glücklich
@Hank Trout:
I think I’m in love…with you.
Miss Understood
Why did they cast a man? Michael Jackson was obviously a transwoman.
Xzamilio
Why not Laura Flynn Boyle if that was the route they were going? This is a joke.
Xzamilio
And don’t give me that shit about no black actors being capable, because they could have cast Phil Lamarr, who played a perfect Michael Jackson on MadTV. He could be dark and light skinned Michael Jackson.
Xzamilio
With that said… Joseph Fiennes can get it. I’m just saying.
ingyaom
Will they cast a black actor to play Brando?
southernscot
This has ‘Oscar’ written all over it! Go Joseph.
Sondi Moore
Does this mean for the earlier Michael shots, Joseph will have to go in black face?
Will Glitzern
Guard your nose, Joseph!
Franklin
Why is anyone surprised by this. The film industry has always had no problem pushing this foolery. This is the same industry that not only cast Linda Hunt, a white woman as an Asian man in “The Year of Living Dangerously”, but also gave her an oscar for it.
Captain Obvious
@Franklin: Not to mention Egyptians being Caucasian and if we’re “lucky” very very light skinned people who aren’t remotely African.
I guess Hoda Kotb is just pretending to be Egyptian because they were totally white people.
I actually saw an argument one between people arguing with an actual Egyptian(dark skinned) claiming that she wasn’t really Egyptian and that all Egyptians are fair skinned(white) Arabs.
It’s really crazy how Hollywood treats ethnicity and even worse how America eats it up and lets it shape their world.
Amaurys Arias
He is to dark to pass! ð??
Dave Downunder
Regardless of what your feelings are about a white man playing Michael I feel the bigger question is who would want to watch a this story anyway.
Bryguyf69
I have no problems with this casting at all *IF*
1) Fiennes proved competent in the role
2) Black actors (and actors of any race) were given equal opportunity to audition
3) No major physical alterations are made to make the actor look racially appropriate, especially if the feature is stereotypical. Examples include taping the eyes to make an actor seem Asian, i.e. Paul Muni in The Good Earth or Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I’ve also seen widening of the nose to seem Black in various comedy sketches. These are offensive.
Slight alteration of skin color and the use of wigs or hair treatments are okay since they’re common alterations in acting. In fact, I don’t know of any acting job that doesn’t require makeup or hairstyling. Indeed, I see it as no different than changing one’s wardrobe or accent to play a role. Actors use accents to play someone of another nationality all the time so why not also play someone of another race?
Bryguyf69
Oprah BFF, Gayle King, expressed my views well: “I’m surprised but I’m not insulted by it because if you look at Michael Jackson, he did have very White features at the time he left this Earth, and many people said he looked very much like a White person. So I’m not offended or insulted, or outraged by this. I want to know, can he dance?” (CBS This Morning, 7-28-16)
Bravo! For those who don’t know, King is herself African-American. Basically, she and I are saying that if Fiennes has the abilities, it’s okay to cast him.
Xzamilio
@Bryguyf69: Well, if Gayle King said it, I guess the discussion is over, huh?
Black Pegasus
As the official liaison and representative to the black community, I have no problem with this casting. Michael Jackson was larger than life. There is nothing about his story that can be described as typical. Therefore any portrayal of him should be met with the same phenomenal circumstances. People need to find else to get salty about.
** I have spoken. The comments section is now closed **
Tobi
I guess they couldn’t afford Johnny Depp.
Bryguyf69
To those complaining about this casting, are you also offended by the casting of acclaimed stage actor, James Earl Jones, as Grandpa Martin Vanderhof in You Can’t Take It With You? Does he look like a Vanderhof — the patriarch of an otherwise White family in the 1930s? Jones was cast despite his race, based on talent alone. He also played Shakespeare’s King Lear, another White character (the daughters were played by White actors, so it wasn’t an all-Black take on the play). Jones’ most famous theatrical role, however, is arguably Othello, and the portrayal is considered one of best in Broadway history. While Othello was described as dark skinned, many believe that he was Arabian, so casting Jones may not have been racially correct. In other words, let’s consider talent first, and make other characteristics like race secondary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQUu_-PQAo4
Masc Pride
Can’t really see Joseph as Michael, even with make up and hair. I don’t think any living human could be the exact same color or look quite that odd. It’ll be controversial, which is probably the point.
@Captain Obvious: It’s even crazier how you treat ethnicity. Wentworth Miller is mixed; he is not a black person with “white color”. He doesn’t even identify as black only. Michael Jackson was corpse color, not “white color”, and that’s because he chemically lightened his skin. There aren’t tons of black people with “white color”. You’re always trying to find reasons why black people are no different than white people instead of embracing the differences.
Bryguyf69
@Xzamilio: Er, please QUOTE where I said that King is the authority on this issue, or that the discussion is closed. READ CAREFULLY. I said that she expressed MY views. That’s it. Don’t misinterpret my words to get attention.
Bryguyf69
As a follow up to my post on James Earl Jones … are you similarly offended by all the amazing African-American operatic divas playing White characters? Let’s face it, there aren’t many Black female characters in opera, with Verdi’s Aida (an Ethiopia princess) being an exception. If casting is racially pure, we’d never hear amazing singers like Marian Anderson, Martina Arroyo, Leontyne Price, Harolyn Blackwell, Kathleen Battle, Jesseye Norman, etc. Let’s focus on talent!!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:African-American_opera_singers
DCguy
HE isn’t “Shocked”, because he auditioned for the part. It isn’t as if he picked up the newspaper one day and found out that he was cast in a part he didn’t know about.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
Have the Wayans, stars of White Chicks chimed in, yet?
AxelDC
Michael Jackson was hardly black later in life. He had bleached his skin so much that Carrot Top would be too dark to play him.
AxelDC
Does this look like a black man to you?
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19400000/MJJ-michael-jackson-2002-2009-19421497-1022-1599.jpg
CWM85
I think a woman probably should have played MJ. An light asian woman. He looked more asian after all of those surgeries. Besides Micheal wore a wig, had surgery on his lips to make them thinner and pink. His hair was straighten. He had white kids. He obviously wantsx to be white
CWM85
Captain obvious black people with white skin? What the fuck are you talking about?
paul dorian lord fredine
@Mike Johnson: ‘menstrual show’? really? unless you’re making some kind of attempt at humor (fail, btw) you definitely are in need of a dictionary. other than that, i heard it was a joke brought about by the ruckus over the oscars black/white woop-dee-doo.
Bryguyf69
@Mike Johnson: Menstrual show? Is that what Donald Trump calls Megyn Kelly’s show on Fox?
More seriously, please don’t use blackfacing out of historical context because it just makes you look ignorant. White performers blackfaced because being a song-and-dance man was supposedly beneath the status of Whites. In this case, no one is suggesting that MJ was unworthy of respect. In fact, Fiennes thinks highly of him.
Mr-DJ
@Mike Johnson: Seriously Dude? Menstrual? That’s a woman’s period. LOL – Try again.
paul dorian lord fredine
@Captain Obvious: you’re ignoring jeffrey hunter as the traditional europeanized version of jesus, charlton heston as moses and liz taylor as cleopatra (and the list is endless), not to mention any ‘historical drama’ where they run around in togas with english accents. not to mention marlon brando in ‘julius caesar’? not entirely horrible but you kept expecting him to holler for stella during the funeral soliloquy. hollywood does more than just take liberties.
paul dorian lord fredine
@CWM85: they used to call them ‘high yellow’.
CWM85
By 2001 MJ was pale white, straight hair, nose changed by surgeries so many times to give it that European pointed look, he had surgery on eyes, lips to thin them and permanently tattooed his lips pink. He had been married twice to white women and had white kids. I think to cast a white person as him doing this part of his life is not far fetched. Its clear MJ did not want to be black.
Bryguyf69
@Mike Johnson:
Menstrual show? Is that what Donald Trump calls Megyn Kelly’s show on Fox?
More seriously, please don’t use blackfacing out of historical context because it just makes you look ignorant. White performers blackfaced because being a song-and-dance man was supposedly beneath the status of Whites. In this case, no one is suggesting that MJ was unworthy of respect. In fact, Fiennes thinks highly of him.
He BGB
This has to be a hoax. Jimmy Kimmel come out come out wherever you are
Xzamilio
@Bryguyf69: Since when have I needed anyone to get attention? Get out of your feelings, babe, I wasn’t being malicious or being serious.
Xzamilio
@Black Pegasus: I’m so sorry!! I didn’t see your comment. I won’t comment again, I promise, just please don’t take my black card!!!
Captain Obvious
@Masc Pride: Wentworth has always identified as black and you have no say in the matter. There are no black Americans who aren’t mixed. There’s really no such thing as mixed in the first place, all of humanity originated from the same place.
http://funees.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/twins-mens.jpg
Half my family on both sides passed for white for centuries to escape slavery and discrimination. We’re naturally light in my family and they married white people so we got even lighter. That said my mom is very dark skinned. Black people cover the whole spectrum, you only get one.
How are you gonna tell me about black people? I doubt you even know any or you’d know we come in all shades including white and some of us are so dark they look blue. Have many seats.
They didn’t look for a black person who could look like Michael Jackson and there are plenty out there wishing they could find work in acting.
I don’t even know why you’re commenting on a subject you know nothing about. What do you even care about black people or Michael Jackson and why are you trying to claim him? Didn’t ya’ll throw him in the gutter decades ago?
Captain Obvious
@CWM85: If you don’t know then why are you replying?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/16/article-1387468-0C156FBA00000578-128_468x470.jpg
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/attachments/4/43786d1397021190-there-any-white-people-4a-hair-me-minnie.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7a/e3/3c/7ae33cba74279d2f9cf8c67b2eefe0ff.jpg
OzJosh
I note that none of the black actors who have so loudly objected to this racial slight have addressed the fact that Michael Jackson spend most of his adult life trying to be progressively more white, and at the end looked nothing like any black man who has ever existed. This alone puts him into a completely different category. Any actor playing him is going to require massive prosthetic and cosmetic help anyway, so it really matters not at all whether they are black or white. Actually, a white guy stands a much better chance of being able to make the transition to MJ. Seriously, if you want to get outraged, why not try examining why someone like MJ carried such overwhelming internalised racism that he would want to completely obliterate all traces of his race via surgical mutilation. If I were a black actor I’d happily ignore this harmless piece of fluff about one incident in Jackson’s bizarre life, and start working on the movie that needs to be made about MJ’s pathological relationship with his racial identity.
Franklin
@Bryguyf69: Where these living people? Michael Jackson was a real person, so please stop with the handful examples of fictional people that are played by people of color. Even so hollywood has been whitening characters both real and fictional for years, so if were are keeping score I’m sure you have a lot of ground to make up before we can call it even. Also Michael Jackson wasn’t trying to be white. He actually did have vitiligo. That was conformed on his autopsy. Some people with vitiligo choose to wear makeup or try to make their skin even all over so they don’t look blotchy.
inbama
Once again a Cisgender actor has been hired portray a Transgender.
BornSerious
Anyone can play anyone, I really don’t care. I was coming out when MJ was big … 1979+ … enjoyed his music and danced to it at discos, BUT I wouldn’t care to have anything more to do with MJ because his actions were inappropriate, if not totally criminal, with children.
Masc Pride
@Captain Obvious: Black people aren’t white, dude. Stop embarrassing yourself. Wentworth Miller claims quite a long list of different ethnicities, most of which are European or non-black. Don’t take my word, just look it up. You’re also confusing mixed as biracial. Two different things. Reaching back to your family’s slavery days to claim you’re mixed just shows how much you obviously hate being a black person. My comment wasn’t directed at every black person; it was directed at YOU. Even Stevie Wonder could see all your issues. You’re always calling Xzamilio an Uncle Tom (and he kind of seems like one), but you make him look like Malcolm X. lol
Masc Pride
@OzJosh: I’ve noticed the MJ impersonators I’ve seen that are actually black do earlier eras of his career (only up to Thriller). Most of the impersonators that do late 80’s on are usually white or Hispanic (probably because they don’t have to go through as much makeup). I agree that it’s rather silly for anyone to actually get outraged over the casting since MJ tried his hardest to make himself whiter than white. In most of the side-by-sides online, Fiennes is actually darker than MJ. lol
https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/joseph-fiennes-michael-jackson-movie.jpg?w=670&h=377&crop=1
Captain Obvious
@Masc Pride: Wow you are a total idiot and a troll. You don’t know a thing about black people and everything you said just proves that. No wonder people don’t reply to you anymore except to call you what you are.
Captain Obvious
@Masc Pride: Oh and FYI idiot, 2 generations ago wasn’t “slavery days”, and my great great uncle chose to pass. My great great grandmother didn’t, or did any of her off-spring. Get some reading comprehension moron.
People who could pass chose to pass so they could avoid lynchings, beatings, and a terrible life under r@cists like you. Go play in traffic.
CWM85
So captain obvious. As a person who has a black mother and white and native dad, I’m automatically black to you, even tho my father is not, even tho my grandfather was Scottish, english, Cherokee. Under your views its more like Jim Crow! Smh
Masc Pride
@Captain Obvious: That means absolutely nothing coming from a totally detached basket case with tons of inferiority issues that come out in nearly every post. I’ve seen several people call you out as well. You’re not exactly well-liked. And FYI, this is part of what you said in your response to me:
“Half my family on both sides passed for white for centuries to escape slavery and discrimination.”
Has absolutely nothing to with anything. My reading comprehension skills are fine. You just want everyone to think that you come from a long line of “white” black people. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you go off on tangents about your supposedly mixed heritage. You’re obviously r cist against other blacks. Sad.
CWM85
Captain obvious believes in the one drop rule. Even tho Wentworth miller is more European than African he is black. Even tho someone has a whole European or native or any other race as a parent of grandparent, they are black if they have some African blood. You are ignorant in your views that are very outdated.
Masc Pride
Also, these little militant outbursts of yours might be more effective without the Zack Morris avatar. Try Lisa or at least Slater. lol
CWM85
Mac Pride you get it. This captain is a backwards thinking Jim Crow douche… one drop rule is over. We mixed race people exist.
Franklin
I don’t know how many times it has to be said. Michael Jackson had vitiligo. He did not try his hardest to make himself white. What he did what a lot of people with this disease do and tried to make his skin even instead of being blotchy. Also, Michael Jackson has stated several times that he had not issues with being black. In fact when asked about it in an interview he scoffed at the idea of someone white playing him if a bio pic were ever to be done on him.
Xzamilio
@Masc Pride: Don’t be dragging me into your troll parties, you faceless jackass. You and Captain Obvious can have fun with your back and forth bitch slaps and leave me out of it. I kind of seem like an Uncle Tom the same way you kind of appear to be a secure masculine man. No Idi Amin jokes? References to my black skin, you bigoted moron? I’d think you and Zack Morris face would have more in common, but I guess you fall on opposite ends of the asshole spectrum, huh?
Masc Pride
@CWM85: Yeah, he likes to call everyone else r cist, but he clearly has more than a few race issues of his own.
@Xzamilio: What references to your “black skin” did I make? Please C&P direct quotes and links to them. Prove you’re not a manipulative, melodramatic liar that exaggerates and misrepresents things to get sympathy. I wasn’t joking when I said you favored Amin, and funny how you left out all the insults you hurled at me first. You love to personally attack others, but you get very sensitive and outraged when you get just a little back.
Xzamilio
@Masc Pride: Sympathy? Fuck “sympathy”… sympathy is for Tumblr.
http://www.queerty.com/michael-sam-calls-it-quits-again-cites-mental-health-reasons-20150817
Now, please… feel free to go through that story about Michael Sam. When YOU started in when I made NO reference to you… when YOU decided to attack my looks and call me ugly numerous times… how “you people” are so quick to get hostile and vulgar. The only one getting sensitive here and on that page was you, because only I’ve only seen women make personal attacks about someone’s looks when they have nothing else to say. Absolutely amazing… between you and Captain Obvious, my jock is constantly being ridden. I’m bored… you’ve bored me. Have the last word.
Masc Pride
@Xzamilio: Nope. You said I made references to your “black skin”. There is no comment in that link where I mention anything about your color. You lied. You simply took me calling you ugly as a racial epithet, which I clearly stated applied to your personality as well as your face. As far as “you people”, I was clearly grouping you in with Atticus (who is not black but is also very vulgar and spams the comment section). As I said, take a look at some of the things you said BEFORE I said anything about your unfortunate facial situation. The fact that this has obviously been troubling you since last August just shows what an emotionally fragile person you are…yet you’re also very quick to get hostile. Go figure! lol
Franklin
@Masc Pride: I think what he is getting at is the fact that he and Amin don’t look anything alike accept for maybe dark skin, and even still Amin is darker. To draw that comparison is kind of one of those “All black people look alike moments”. I used to get it all the time from clueless people telling me I looked like black celebrities who looked nothing like me, with some even being shades darker or lighter than my skin completion.
Masc Pride
@Franklin: No, that is not a fact. You say they don’t look alike; I say they do. Google a younger Amin. It’s a matter of opinion, and difference of opinion doesn’t equal “all black people look alike”…unless you’re extremely paranoid and hypersensitive. You know who else has had the experience of being told that they look like someone they don’t think they resemble? EVERYONE! The race-baiting is really unnecessary.
What remains fact is that there were never any disparaging comments about Xzamilio’s “black skin”. He purposely misrepresented what was said and conveniently left out how he resorted to profanity and personal attacks first.
Franklin
@Masc Pride: Young or old, they look about as much alike and Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran. Also, nobody is being paranoid or hypersensitive. Yes, everyone gets mistaken for someone they don’t resemble once in a while, but ask most minorities in the country and they can tell you that this seems to happen at a much higher rate to us. Call me race-batter if you want to, but it’s been my experience that if it walks a like a duck, and quacks like a duck…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdxMkQhq58g
Masc Pride
@Franklin: Again, it’s just your opinion that they don’t look alike. As far as your example, if Prince Harry put on about 100 lbs. and grew a messy chinstrap, he probably would look a lot like Ed Sheeran. You butted into the conversation arguing “all black people don’t like alike” when no one has stated that they do. I don’t think Xzamilio looks anything like Chris Brown, Will Smith or Idris Elba. No resemblance to any of them. He does look like a young Amin IMO. You’re quacking like a very paranoid, hypersensitive, melodramatic, race-baiting duck.
Franklin
@Masc Pride: As you said it’s just an opinion right? God forbid you witness a crime and the police have to rely on you to identify the suspect. Your eagle eyes might end up sending some innocent man in jail for a long time.
Franklin
@Xzamilio: Boo, don’t listen to this man. You don’t look like Idi Amin. Oh, I forgot to add the words “in my opinion”. Well, in mine and probably every other black person in America, Africa, and the other four continents of the earth’s opinions.
Xzamilio
@Franklin: Thank you kindly, but the fact that he and someone else on here continue to bring up my name and shade me unprompted honestly gives me all the joy in the world. I’ve been called worse than Idi Amin… when it interferes with me getting laid, I’ll start to worry lol
Masc Pride
@Franklin: LOL now I’m sending innocent people to the slam? That’s even more dramatic than Zami holding on to all this for SIX MONTHS. Must’ve really phucked with his head! I’ll leave you two to commiserate.
Franklin
@Masc Pride: Not being dramatic. Just saying maybe you need to get eyes checked. There’s always Lasik or PRK. You know since the healthcare law has been passed, it’s relatively easy to get it done for almost nothing. Look into it. P.S. I don’t think it really messed with his head all that much. I just don’t think anyone likes it when random strangers feel the need to give their unsolicited opinion on someone’s looks, especially when it’s someone who has no picture themselves. Finally, as far as your leaving the conversation?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT90D0GKZRM