Nia Long is sharing new details about her connection to Michael Jackson as anticipation builds for Michael, the upcoming biopic in which she portrays the singer’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
In a new interview with Playboy, Long reflected on the moments she spent around Jackson before his death and said those memories shaped how she approached one of the most closely watched roles of her career.
Long said her relationship with Michael Jackson stretches back to her childhood. Her mother once worked for Jackson’s record label and even contributed artwork to one of his albums during the early years of his solo career.
Long remembered walking into the office and seeing Jackson’s photos everywhere. According to her, her mother told her to take the pictures because “he’s going to be a big star,” even though Jackson was already becoming one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world.
Her most vivid memory came years later at a Stevie Wonder concert, where she unexpectedly crossed paths with Jackson backstage while he was with director John Singleton.
“He was like, ‘Hi, Nia Long!’” she recalled. “I literally couldn’t speak.” Long said what stayed with her most was not his celebrity, but how present he was in that brief exchange.
“He was such a real person,” Long said. “When he said your name, it wasn’t on some ‘I’m Michael Jackson, and you’re whoever you are.’ He genuinely wanted to connect in that moment.”
Those memories became especially meaningful once Long joined Michael, director Antoine Fuqua’s film about Jackson’s rise from the Jackson 5 through the Bad era. Long plays Katherine Jackson opposite Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, who is making his acting debut as the King of Pop.
Long said she approached Katherine Jackson with a sense of responsibility, describing her as “the real hero in all of this.” She said she spent much of the production relying on instinct and prayer while working through the pressure that comes with portraying “the most important mother in music history.”
“Antoine Fuqua, the director, would always say, ‘Trust the process,’” Long said. “We had tough days, and we had easy days, like any other movie set. But I think the common thread in all of this is everyone involved really loves and adores Michael Jackson, and we wanted to get it right.”
Fuqua has spoken openly about that same commitment. Earlier this month, the director revealed that he spent more than two years making the film and said he knew he had found the right actor the first time he met Jaafar Jackson. According to Fuqua, Jaafar had already spent years preparing for the role before filming began.
“Then when I met Jaafar, I thought he was pretending,” Fuqua said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “He was so Michael-like. Just his way he spoke and his behavior and his gentleness.”
Jaafar has also said that his own memories of growing up around his uncle helped him prepare for the role. In a recent television interview, he described “wonderful times at Neverland” and family game nights, saying he wanted to capture not only Michael Jackson’s voice and mannerisms, but also the warmth he remembered as a child.
“There’s definitely a responsibility that you feel going into something this big,” Jaafar said. “There’s so many moments that I wanted to nail and make sure I had the true essence and that feeling.”
Long said she believes audiences will see the care that went into the film when it arrives in theaters on April 24.
“The version everyone will see is really, really spectacular and entertaining,” she said. “And I think Michael would be happy.”
