The British TV show featuring a white actor playing Michael Jackson has spurred so much heat from the public that the network has opted to cancel the episode. Social media blasted Sky Art’s decision to have English actor Joseph Fiennes play the singer in “Urban Myths: A Brand New Collection of TV Comedies.” There also are questions about whether the episode’s plot of a rumored trip Michael took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando actually happened.
In a statement released in a series of tweets Friday, Jan. 13, Sky Arts said it wouldn’t air the episode, noting, “We set out to take a lighthearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offense.”
@SkyArts 1/4 We have taken the decision not to broadcast Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon, a 30min episode from the Sky Arts Urban Myths series.
— Sky Arts (@SkyArts) January 13, 2017
@SkyArts 2/4 This decision was taken in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson’s immediate family.
— Sky Arts (@SkyArts) January 13, 2017
@SkyArts 3/4 We set out to take a light-hearted look at reportedly true events & never intended to cause any offence.
— Sky Arts (@SkyArts) January 13, 2017
@SkyArts 4/4 Joseph Fiennes fully supports our decision.
— Sky Arts (@SkyArts) January 13, 2017
Sky Arts had previously defended its choice to cast Fiennes as Michael, telling People it “gives producers the creative freedom to cast roles as they wish, within the diversity framework which we have set.”
The episode featuring Michael is titled “Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon.” Its premise is based on a reported road trip the singer, Taylor and Brando took when planes were grounded after 9/11. The plot follows the eight-episode series’ greater theme of tackling rumored stories about celebrities.
The story of the Michael episode came from a 2011 story in Vanity Fair told by one of the singer’s ex-employees, who remained anonymous. After Michael got his staff to New Jersey after the attacks, the former worker said the celebrity trio drove across the country. But, one of Taylor’s close friends disputes the claim and said Taylor remained in New York.
On Twitter Wednesday, Jan. 11, Michael’s daughter, Paris, bashed Fiennes’ portrayal of her father.
@TheMJCast i’m so incredibly offended by it, as i’m sure plenty of people are as well, and it honestly makes me want to vomit.
— Paris-Michael K. J. (@ParisJackson) January 11, 2017
The rest of the Jackson family shared her outrage.
T.J., the son of Michael’s brother Tito, told The Insider a white actor playing his Black uncle is a disgrace to the Black community.
“My uncle was incredibly proud of his heritage and of who he was,” T.J. said. “He was proud to be a Black man who suffered from the skin disease vitiligo. He loved all people as my entire family does. But, for a white actor to play my uncle, a Black man, is insulting to him, his legacy, his family, his fans and really the entire Black community. This isn’t [a] comedy, it’s a disgusting mockery with no taste.”
Social media users also questioned why a white actor was playing the “Beat It” singer.
OK… So I gotta fight Joseph Fiennes pic.twitter.com/OoTrig7Bze
— MonsterKing (@CerromeRussell) January 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/_babyjesuss/status/819945284058877955
Joseph Fiennes just sabotaged his own career
— Black Girl Nerds (@BlackGirlNerds) January 11, 2017
@ParisJackson @TheMJCast It’s an insult to Michael and his family. An insult to black history and his legacy in the music history..NOT DONE!
— LunaJo67 (@LunaJo67) January 12, 2017
Okay? But why does Joseph Fiennes as MJ look like the scarecrow you'd find at the edge of a pumpkin patch!? pic.twitter.com/OxFjP5SZQs
— Rosalina (@AboutRosalina) January 11, 2017
Michael himself previously had expressed incredulity at the idea of a white actor playing him onscreen. In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, he vehemently denied a rumor that he wanted a white star to play his younger self in a commercial.
“That’s the most ridiculous, horrifying story I’ve ever heard,” Michael said. “Number one, it’s my face as a child in the commercial. Me when I was little. Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a Black American. I’m a Black American. I’m proud to be a Black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am.”
