Michael Jackson's Family Slams Joseph Fiennes' Portrayal of Late Star on 'Urban Myths'
TV

Michael's daughter Paris blasts Joseph's casting, calling it a 'shameful portrayal,' while his nephew Taj Jackson says it's a 'blatant disrespect.'

AceShowbiz - Michael Jackson's family is clearly not happy with Joseph Fiennes' casting as the late star on "Urban Myths". Following the release of the show's trailer that gives a first look at the actor as the King of Pop, Michael's daughter Paris Jackson took to Twitter on January 11 to write, "I'm so incredibly offended by it, as I'm sure plenty of people are as well, and it honestly makes me want to vomit."

Paris continued, "It angers me to see how obviously intentional it was for them to be this insulting, not just towards my father, but my godmother liz [Elizabeth Taylor] as well." She added, "Where is the respect? They worked through blood sweat and tears for ages to create such profound and remarkable legacies. Shameful portrayal."

Meanwhile, Michael's nephew Taj Jackson tweeted, "Unfortunately this is what my family has to deal with. No words could express the blatant disrespect." His post was a response to a tweet from journalist Soledad O'Brien who also criticized the portrayal, saying, "I woke up feeling like it's going to be a beautiful day and then I remembered this is someone's idea of Michael Jackson," referring to a screenshot of Fiennes in the trailer.

Fiennes' casting has been controversial since news of the project surfaced in the beginning of 2016. Fans have created a petition to boycott the film, stating, "It's easy to see why the story would make a compelling film, but it's harder to understand why the actor best known for his role in 'Shakespeare in Love' was the first choice to play one of the world's most iconic black musicians."

Fiennes himself has expressed his own discomfort of portraying the late star, saying that he could understand why people were "up in arms." He opened up, "The decision with the casting and the producers - I wrangled with it. I was confused and shocked at what might come my way. And I knew the sensitivity, especially to Michael's fans and to Michael's family."

"Urban Myths" is set to premiere on Thursday, January 19 on Sky Arts.

Follow AceShowbiz.com @ Google News

You can share this post!

You might also like