White Actor Cast as Michael Jackson in 9/11 Comedy Special

You couldn’t make this stuff up – many people are angry that a white actor will be playing Michael Jackson in one of the weirdest supposedly-based-on-a-true-story TV specials ever, according to the Guardian:

September 2001 was allegedly witness to one of the strangest road trips in history: Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando driving from New York to Ohio in an attempt to get home following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The saga is now being dramatised in a one-off comedy special for Sky Arts, called Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon, starring Joseph Fiennes as Jackson, Stockard Channing as Taylor and Brian Cox as Brando.

Joseph Fiennes is best known for playing William Shakespeare in “Shakespeare in Love” back in 1998 – meaning he’ll be a white British dude playing one of the most famous African-American icons of all time.

Yes, Jackson’s skin was pretty pale by the time this bizarre road trip is said to have taken place, but the point still stands.

Many people are pointing out that in an interview with Oprah, Jackson specifically said that he didn’t want a white child actor to play a younger version of himself in a Pepsi commercial (starting at the 23:50 mark):

”Why would I want a white child to play me? I’m a Black American. I’m proud to be a Black American. I’m proud of my race, I’m proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride in who I am, and dignity. That’s like you [Oprah] wanting an Oriental person to play you as a child.”