Colman Domingo Wants to Find Joe Jackson’s 'Humanity, Heart and Humor' in Michael Jackson Biopic (Exclusive)

The Oscar-nominated actor portrays the complicated Jackson family patriarch in 'Michael,' which is set to debut in theaters on April 18, 2025

Colman Domingo wants to portray a “complex version” of Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, in the upcoming biopic about the King of Pop.

Speaking with PEOPLE at the African American Film Critics Association Awards on Wednesday, Domingo, who is nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in Rustin, says filming on the movie Michael, which is currently underway, is “going well.”

“I’m having a good time with it,” he adds. “Right now I seem to be on the track of interrogating some of these real-life human beings. I want to find their humanity, I want to find their heart and their humor. It may go against public opinion sometimes, but I think that's my responsibility to find the complex version of these people.”

Indeed, the Jackson family patriarch — who died in 2018 at age 89 — was a stern parent who had a complicated relationship with his 11 children.

Related: Colman Domingo Says He Has Room for ‘Two Oscars’ Next to His ‘Euphoria’ Emmy (Exclusive)

Though he nurtured the musical talents of his kids and managed some of their careers, including that of “Thriller” superstar Michael, who died at 50 in 2009, he could also be an imposing figure.

As PEOPLE noted in Joe’s 2018 obituary, his daughter La Toya Jackson wrote in her 1991 memoir “that he abused her and terrorized her brothers, often pointing guns at the kids to get their attention.”

Michael confirmed to Oprah Winfrey on a 1993 TV special that Joe had beaten him.

In an interview with Winfrey a year after Michael died, Joe said he didn’t regret hitting his children: “It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”

Domingo said in a January press release that he was excited to play the “flawed” Joe and also see Michael’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, son of Michael’s brother Jermaine, portray the “Bad” singer. “

“After seeing him in rehearsal, my mind was blown. There is something divine about the way that Jaafar is channeling his late uncle. His talent and embodiment of Michael’s essence is simply on another level,” said Domingo.

In addition to Jaafar and Domingo, the cast of Michael includes Nia Long as Jackson matriarch Katherine and Miles Teller as entertainment lawyer John Branca, who is credited with helping Michael transition from Jackson 5 boy band member to solo superstar.

Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua directs the film, which has a release date set for April 18, 2025.

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Read the original article on People.