Nia Long Opens Up About Playing Catherine Jackson In 'Michael'

‘Michael,’ the highly anticipated and long-awaited biopic, is officially in theaters and as expected, fans are dressed, singing and dancing in the rows. It’s a full cultural experience. Prior to its release, we sat down with the cast of the film: Colman Domingo, Nia Long, Juliano Valdi and director Antoine Fuqua who opened up about Michael Jackson’s indelible mark on pop culture and how they tapped into playing the roles of the most important people in his life.

Nia Long, who portrays Catherine Jackson in the film, embodied her reserved and soft energy and her special relationship to his mother. Catherine wasn’t a woman of many words, but she expressed herself in various ways, including her love and the protection of her children. In the film, there’s a scene when Catherine undergoes an awakening of sort, and she’s stern with Joe (played by Colman Domingo) and she’s wearing a power white suit where she draws strength. It was an intentional fashion choice by Nia and Fuqua.

“Well, that suit was a deliberate choice, and I’m glad that you noticed it,” Nia revealed during our junket interview glancing over at Fuqua who smiled back. “It was something that Antoine and I discussed.” She continued, “She was the woman of the house at that point. The stardom was there, the lifestyle had changed, and in that moment she recognized that her son was no longer a boy. He was a young man. And she no longer agreed with Joe’s desire to control the situation. And you know she didn’t need many words to say I’m not on your same team

She added, “It was my first time in a scene with Coleman where I actually felt that Joe was really vulnerable, you know, that there was just that, that, that there was a detachment between the two of them where. Their beliefs and how the parenting needed to go moving forward was different and I think that’s a very natural thing that happens daily in marriages and partnerships and it kind of was so the so the suit was a power suit.”

The film dedicates a generous amount of time on Michael and Joe’s complicated relationship. Colman’s portrayal of Joe was intimidating and silently menacing. Get into our interview, above.

And catch ‘Michael’ in theaters now!

Nia Long Shares The Bold Fashion Choices That Went Into Her Portrayal Of Catherine Jackson was originally published on hellobeautiful.com