Why Michael Jackson’s Men in Black Cameo Almost Didn't Happen

Michael Jackson is the talk of the town once more, thanks to the release of his biopic, Michael. But long before Jaafar Jackson brought his uncle back to the fore, the King of Pop had his own acting career… of sorts.

He played the Scarecrow in The Wiz, a bizarre adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, and also used his music videos and wild imagination to conjure up an anthology movie called Moonwalker, in which he starred as an alternate version of himself.

However, his most mainstream role was a brief cameo in Men in Black II. It was a part that was a long time in the making, and it wasn’t easy to make it happen, either.

Michael Jackson Always Wanted To Be In Men In Black

The plan was for Jackson to appear in the first Men in Black in 1997. Director Barry Sonnenfeld originally wanted the pop superstar to play himself in a role that would have seen him revealed to be an alien in disguise.

The likes of Danny DeVito, Dionne Warwick, George Lucas, and Sylvester Stallone were given that treatment in the movie, but Jackson refused to be depicted as such.

Instead, Jackson was determined to wear the iconic black suit of a field agent, just like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Sonnenfeld told Business Insider that it just couldn’t play out like that, saying: “[He] insisted on being an MIB agent, which was tougher for me to swallow.”

Years later, however, Jackson would achieve that dream, largely thanks to Sony’s former movie chief Amy Pascal, who pushed the idea as a beneficial collaboration for both parties.

In his memoir, ‘Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time’, Sonnenfeld explained his apprehension, given Jackson’s well-documented controversies in the early 2000s: “Amy thought his appearance in a hit movie would be great [for him]; I wondered if he was slightly damaged goods.”

Jackson was eventually given the go-ahead to play a field agent in Antarctica for Men in Black II, but it was a real struggle to get a performance out of him on the day.

Jackson’s Time On Set Did Not Go To Plan

Sonnenfeld didn’t need Jackson for long, in theory, but the shooting day was a bit of a disaster by all accounts.

Before the camera even started rolling, it’s said someone had told everyone on set to refer to Jackson as “Number One” or “The King of Pop” at all times. An unusual request, by any standard, but not too disruptive.

Far worse, however, was the fact that Jackson refused to leave his trailer when he was needed on set. Sonnenfeld recalled how he demanded Amy Pascal come and resolve the matter, given she was “the single reason we agreed to this insanity.” But even with Pascal on set, Jackson still didn’t want to play ball.

Thankfully, he eventually did step out in front of the camera, but Sonnenfeld described him as a nervous wreck and claimed Jackson asked if the shoot could be postponed. Returning to his trailer to speak with the director, Jackson apparently burst into tears, but Sonnenfeld refused to back down, insisting the shoot had to go ahead with or without the legendary musician.

The conversation had Jackson thinking he had been fired, but once the dust settled and the misunderstanding was cleared up, Sonnenfeld got what he needed. “I went back to the King of Pop's trailer and somehow convinced him to put on the f***ing black suit and walked him to the set. We rolled the camera,” he wrote.

Michael Jackson Was Still Grateful For The Opportunity

As part of that conversation in the trailer, Sonnenfeld revealed that Jackson had told him he had always wanted to play a Men in Black character since he was a little boy. That is, despite the first movie only coming out five years prior. 

Still, Jackson was very grateful for the chance to fulfil his dream, and he made sure to show his appreciation to Sonnenfeld once the production came to an end.

Despite the chaos, Sonnenfeld described Jackson as being “lovely” and recalled how he sent the director a nice thank-you note for being so patient with him. The note, handwritten on red paper, made the frustrating and complex journey worth it for Sonnenfeld, who was glad he was able to get Jackson into the film in the end.

You can watch Michael Jackson in Men in Black II for free right now on the Channel 4 streaming platform.