Antoine Fuqua has revealed that his only contact with Michael Jackson was a brief phone call, and that the King of Pop simply wanted to say hello and tell him he liked his work.
Speaking to Variety as his Michael biopic opened to $97 million in the US and $217.4 million worldwide, the best opening weekend of his career, Fuqua reflected on the personal connection, or lack of one, he had with his subject.
Asked whether he had ever met Jackson, the director was candid.
“No, just a phone call when I was being considered as a director for Remember the Time. I was in Italy, so I couldn’t be part of the bidding on that one. He was a quiet, sweet guy. It wasn’t so much an audition or anything like that, it was more him saying hello and how much he liked my work. It was like he was touching base with me. It wasn’t a long phone call.”
Fuqua came to the project through an unexpected route.
While working on Equalizer 3 with cinematographer Bob Richardson, he was shown a photograph of Richardson alongside a figure who bore a striking resemblance to Jackson.
It turned out to be Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew, during a screen test.
“It blew me away,” Fuqua said. Producer Graham King subsequently flew out to meet him on the Amalfi Coast to discuss the film, and from there the director was on board.
The road to the finished film was not without significant complications.
The movie’s original ending featured Jackson accuser Jordan Chandler, whose settlement with the singer’s estate legally prevented him from being depicted on screen.
The discovery came after production had wrapped, forcing 20 days of reshoots at an additional cost of $50 million, bringing the film’s total net production cost to $200 million.
Fuqua had to pass on other projects to accommodate the extra shooting.
He spoke to Variety while travelling to Italy, where he is currently shooting Hannibal, a Netflix feature starring Denzel Washington.
Fuqua previously directed music videos for Toni Braxton, Stevie Wonder, Prince and Coolio, including the iconic Gangsta’s Paradise.
