Michael Jackson may have once said in a song that it doesn't matter if you're "Black or White", but that clearly isn't the case with the casting for his upcoming biopic. British actor Joseph Fiennes is now in the heat of debate as criticism has flouted the casting of a white actor to play the iconic African-American music royalty.
The movie, titled "Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon" tells the story of a supposed road trip by Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor following the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States. British cable network Sky Arts, who handles the project, said producers had "creative freedom" in casting the actor for the comedy film, BBC News reported.
The movie is based on an urban legend that was featured in a May 2011 article by Vanity Fair.
The story has been a popular tale, Inside Edition noted, in which Jackson reportedly performed at the Madison Square Garden the day before the attack; and when the Twin Towers collapsed, he and Taylor and Brando rented a car and drove to Ohio themselves after their flight got cancelled. The story was debunked by Taylor's assistant.
But this "creative freedom" was not received well by name as evidenced by the immense backlash against the decision to hire white actor Joseph Fiennes for the role of black singer Michael Jackson.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Fienes said that he was quite as surprised as many people are.
"I'm a white, middle-class guy from London," Fiennes told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm as shocked as you may be."
45-year-old Fiennes described the movie as "kind of off the wall" and that the interaction between Jackson, Brando and Taylor is "funny, and also full of pathos."
In response to the racial controversy surrounding the production, Fiennes added, "It's a light comedy look. It's not in any way malicious. It's actually endearing."
According to The Guardian the Michael Jackson movie is reportedly a half-hour comedy which will be aired in Sky Arts this 2016. It is one part of a series of comedies and unlikely stories taken from the history of arts and culture.
Stockard Channing plays Elizabeth Taylor and Scottish actor Brian Cox as Marlon Brando.
The issue over Joseph Fiennes casting as Michael Jackson in the movie became a huge deal in light of the "OscarsSoWhite" controversy which has sparked an on-going debate about racial disparity and inequality in the entertainment business. There is currently an uproar at the lack of cultural and racial diversity in the industry, an instance that was further emphasized by the nomination of all-white actors in the upcoming Academy Awards.
