Juliano Valdi has compared the responsibility of playing the young Michael Jackson to “taking care of a baby”.
Juliano Valdi has compared the responsibility of playing Michael Jackson to “taking care of a baby”.
The 12-year-old actor portrays the young version of the late King of Pop in the biopic Michael and although he had a lot of fun working on the film, he also felt “pressure” to live up to the expectations of the Thriller hitmaker’s family.
He told E! News: “I knew that when they thought so highly about me, they were really confident in me.
“I had a big responsibility. I had to take care of that—like taking care of a baby, basically, being so gentle with it.
“It was a lot of pressure. I had to make everyone proud because they thought that I could play Michael Jackson.”
A number of members of Michael’s family, including his siblings La Toya Jackson and Marlon Jackson, often visited the set of the film, and Juliano was particularly determined to do his best when the Bad hitmaker’s mom, Katherine Jackson, stopped by.
He said: “I remember the first day I saw the Jackson family. I remember seeing Katherine, and when I saw her I wanted to make her proud. So, I just brought Michael’s energy to the screen as close as I can.”
The young actor hopes viewers will learn to understand Michael – who is played as an adult by his nephew, Jafaar Jackson – in a “deeper” way.
He said: “I hope that they can understand who Michael was on a deeper level.
“They can understand who he was when he wasn’t on stage, who he was as a person. And I also want them to feel groovy in that Michael Jackson mode.”
Michael has been developed with the involvement of Michael’s estate, including executive producer Prince Jackson, though his siblings Bigi Jackson and Paris Jackson are not involved.
Its director Antoine Fuqua previously addressed the approach taken in making the film, emphasising collaboration with the family.
He said: “You’re telling somebody’s life – you want to make sure that they’re happy.”
But Paris Jackson has publicly criticised the film in a video shared on social media.
She said: “The film panders to a very specific section of my dad’s fandom that still lives in the fantasy. And they’re going to be happy with it.”
LaToya has praised Jaafar’s performance in the film.
She said: “Oh my gosh, I have to tell you that Jaafar was absolutely fabulous. I’m sure you’ve seen the movie and you know how wonderful he is, how we all forget and think that we’re watching Mike. It’s like, ‘Oh, I forgot this is Jaafar’.”
‘Like taking care of a baby’: Juliano Valdi talks ‘pressure’ of playing young Michael Jackson
