Janet Jackson chose not to be portrayed in the new biopic of her brother, Michael, says older sister LaToya Jackson.
At Monday night's premiere of the film, Michael, LaToya told Variety that the youngest Jackson sibling did not want to be a part of the much-talked-about film that dramatizes her late brother's life.
“I wish everybody was in the movie,” LaToya said. “[Janet] was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes.”
The film (out tomorrow, April 24) has struggled to make its way to the big screens after first being announced back in November 2019. Most recently it was revealed that costly reshoots to remove scenes about the sexual assault charges brought against Jackson in the 1990s forced the project to miss its original 2025 release date.
However, Janet's absence in the film and at the premiere may be due to her disapproving of the film entirely. Last month, Page Six reported that at a private screening of Michael for family members, Janet "began dissecting the film with brutal precision" and critiquing "almost every scene."
“The acting, the makeup, how the actors spoke, even how they walked," a source said. "It was Janet deciding against the room that this movie wasn’t going to meet her approval."
The outburst reportedly led to a confrontation with older brother Jermaine, who has said to be heavily involved in the film's production.
Michael's eldest child Paris Jackson has also publicly disowned the biopic of her late father, launching a legal battle with the executors of his estate over it. She has also admitted to having had “zero per cent involvement," and claiming the depiction of his life story has been “sugar-coated” and contains “full-blown lies.”
LaToya downplayed any familial criticism of the film when speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the premiere, however, adding, “There was absolutely no problem whatsoever, none whatsoever. Please believe it.”