For many, Michael Jackson’s legacy remains a complicated one: a career defined by unparalleled musical achievement, yet permanently overshadowed by serious and allegations.
There was a time when he was undeniably the biggest star in the world, long before the weight of the controversies surrounding his personal life became clear.
Despite the complexity of his history, Jackson’s impact on the entertainment industry is undeniable. It was that curiosity about the “King of Pop’s” early rise that led me to sit down with Nine’s Entertainment Editor, Richard Wilkins.
Wilkins recently travelled to Berlin for the world premiere of the new biopic, Michael. Following his return, he invited me to discuss his memories of meeting the star during his rise to fame.
As soon as I walked into the bar where we were to do the interview, I noticed the walls lined with memorabilia from a storied career.
But most notably, I saw a signed picture of Wilkins with Jackson from way back when.
“I think the first time that I met him would have been in 1987 when he was here on tour, and I went to Brisbane to see him in concert,” Wilkins tells me.
Recently, on a family vacation, my dad asked everyone to go around the circle and share their top concert, purposefully saving himself for last so that he could drop the fact that he’d seen Michael Jackson way back in the day.
In the moment, I was quite impressed he’d scored tickets to see the world’s biggest star at the time, but sadly for him, he’s since been easily dethroned after hearing Wilkins share memories of Jackson.
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When I spoke to Wilkins, it was 39 years to the day since he had been part of launching the Aussie MTV show, the first international affiliate of MTV.
“Michael loved MTV. In fact, there’s a great scene in the movie when the Thriller album is going through the roof, and he just wants to get on MTV,” Wilkins recalls.
“And that was the missing link that kicked his career into overdrive when he finally got played on MTV, which didn’t play black artists back in the day.”
He recalls a time in the ’80s when Jackson called the station to request that they play a song by him, later sending a signed image as a thank-you, simply writing “MTV is cool”.
Wilkins shared that he and Jackson’s paths crossed several times over the years, when he was hosting events for the star, presenting him with one of many plaques, and even being flown out to Munich for the start of the Dangerous World Tour – at which he was given a very cool jacket still hanging in his closet to this day.
Recalling what it was like meeting Jackson back in his glory days, Wilkins recalls the feeling of knowing “you were in the presence of greatness”.
“He was such a showman,” he says.
“He was always on, but he was kind of pretty reclusive, which is the way he wanted to keep it. I think he was probably quite shy.”
While Michael was always the star of the show, the rest of the Jackson family was no stranger to the public eye. So, of course, Wilkins’ path also crossed with the wider family several times.
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“They’re a strange mob, the Jacksons,” he laughs.
“They live this incredible life. You know, to some degree, they’ve all lived in the shadow of Michael, who became one of the world’s most iconic artists ever.”
He recalls meeting several of the Jackson brothers and their young kids at the time, one of whom he says was likely Jaafar Jackson.
Now, if you don’t know who Jaafar Jackson is yet, you soon won’t be able to escape his name.
Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, and he’s taken on a task that very few in the world could: playing Michael Jackson in a biopic about his life.
“I think you always, as a music fan and someone who works in the music business, you always approach a biopic or something with some degree of trepidation because you want it to be good,” Wilkins says of first hearing about Michael.
“But for Michael, the first question is, who the hell are they going to get to play him?”
During his time in Berlin, Wilkins not only got to see the film early, but he caught up with several members of the Jackson family on the red carpet, including Jermaine, Jackie Jackson, and, of course, Jaafar.
“I think he sort of evolved into Michael during the making of the film,” Wilkins says.
He shared that the filmmakers told him that when they first spoke to Jaafar, he didn’t have any intentions of auditioning for the role.
“It was sort of just more helping and providing research, I think. But then, he also said, ‘Look, I can sing, okay, but I can’t dance’. And they said it’s kind of important to the role. So he said, ‘Give me some time, and I’ll learn’,” he says.
“You could give me about five decades, and I would never be able to moonwalk. But he’s done a terrific job. He’s obviously got the family genes, and when you study for as long as he did to inhabit the persona of someone like your uncle, you inevitably take on traits.
“But Jaafar is a lovely fellow. He’s fully aware of what’s going on, but quite humble and real about it all. Even though his life is obviously about to change.”
As far as the movie is concerned, much to the delight of Jackson fans around the world, Wilkins said he “really enjoyed it”.
“I think it’ll be a big hit. I think it’ll do well,” he says.
“I think it’s a big, brave, ambitious, audacious project, and I think they pull it off.”
Michael is out in Australian cinemas from April 23. Tickets are on sale now.
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