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Joseph Fiennes regrets his portrayal of Michael Jackson in a controversial anthology series episode that never made it to air.
The actor looked back on his casting as the late King of Pop in Sky Arts' anthology series Urban Myths, in a 2017 episode set to follow Jackson as he embarked on a post-9/11 roadtrip with Marlon Brando (Brian Cox) and Elizabeth Taylor (Stockard Channing). Fiennes' lighter skin and prosthetic nose sparked backlash, and he admits people were "absolutely right to be upset" in an interview with The Observer published Sunday.
"It was a wrong decision. Absolutely," Fiennes said. "And I'm one part of that. There are producers, broadcasters, writers, directors, all involved in these decisions. But obviously if I'm upfront, I have become the voice for other people. I would love them to be around the table as well to talk about it. But you know, it came at a time where there was a movement and a shift and that was good, and it was, you know, a bad call. A bad mistake."
Sky Arts pulled the episode before broadcast, citing concerns expressed by Jackson's family. (The pop star's daughter Paris and nephew Taj had slammed Fiennes' portrayal as disrespectful and "insulting.") Fiennes said he "asked the broadcaster to pull it" those many years ago. "And there were some pretty hefty discussions, but ultimately people made the right choice," he added.
Fiennes previously defended his role, stating that it did not promote stereotyping. "This is territory that is sensitive," he told AP in 2016. "One must determine if this portrayal is one that is going to be positive entertainment, and one that will not bring about division and put anyone's noses out of joint, so I went with the mind that this was a positive light-hearted comedy."
"I deal in imagination," he added at the time, "so I don't think imagination should have rules stamped on them. If it promotes stereotyping, then it's wrong. I made a distinction that the Jackson project doesn't do that."
Fiennes most recently starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the mystery drama The Mother and Elisabeth Moss in the series The Handmaid's Tale.
Source
The actor looked back on his casting as the late King of Pop in Sky Arts' anthology series Urban Myths, in a 2017 episode set to follow Jackson as he embarked on a post-9/11 roadtrip with Marlon Brando (Brian Cox) and Elizabeth Taylor (Stockard Channing). Fiennes' lighter skin and prosthetic nose sparked backlash, and he admits people were "absolutely right to be upset" in an interview with The Observer published Sunday.
"It was a wrong decision. Absolutely," Fiennes said. "And I'm one part of that. There are producers, broadcasters, writers, directors, all involved in these decisions. But obviously if I'm upfront, I have become the voice for other people. I would love them to be around the table as well to talk about it. But you know, it came at a time where there was a movement and a shift and that was good, and it was, you know, a bad call. A bad mistake."
Sky Arts pulled the episode before broadcast, citing concerns expressed by Jackson's family. (The pop star's daughter Paris and nephew Taj had slammed Fiennes' portrayal as disrespectful and "insulting.") Fiennes said he "asked the broadcaster to pull it" those many years ago. "And there were some pretty hefty discussions, but ultimately people made the right choice," he added.
Fiennes previously defended his role, stating that it did not promote stereotyping. "This is territory that is sensitive," he told AP in 2016. "One must determine if this portrayal is one that is going to be positive entertainment, and one that will not bring about division and put anyone's noses out of joint, so I went with the mind that this was a positive light-hearted comedy."
"I deal in imagination," he added at the time, "so I don't think imagination should have rules stamped on them. If it promotes stereotyping, then it's wrong. I made a distinction that the Jackson project doesn't do that."
Fiennes most recently starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the mystery drama The Mother and Elisabeth Moss in the series The Handmaid's Tale.
Source