Silke Jasso
The first images of Joseph Fiennes’s portrayal of Michael Jackson have surfaced and the Internet is not having it.
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Fiennes will play Jackson in a new series “Urban Myths,” which will chronicle fabled tales of Jackson taking a road trip with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando from New York to Los Angeles after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The backlash surrounding the series started last year, when it was announced that a white actor was cast to play a black man. Now that the first look is out, the Internet just can’t handle it.
The sight of Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson in the Urban Myths trailer is as perplexing as it is insulting: https://t.co/61KIkAgW0I pic.twitter.com/jwPOgkpTUq
— Little White Lies (@LWLies) January 11, 2017
I do not wish to watch the #urbanmyths trailer out of respect for MJ. @michaeljackson #MichaelJackson #ripMJ
— Quaishaun Colbert (@quaishizzle) January 11, 2017
I'm offended for MJ #urbanmyths
— Q (@AmericanQF) January 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/WhiteGaysTears/status/819214659391725568
Just saw Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson. So many "nopes" on this one. #urbanmyths #dobetter #disrespectful #nope pic.twitter.com/uRppi1nDtG
— BrendaLand (@BrendaPlanet) January 11, 2017
Uh wtf #urbanmyths I'm pretty sure #MichaelJackson is rolling in his grave rn. Last I checked he was black and proud.
— 🏴☠️ I hex ye! 🏳️🌈 (@zambamboz) January 11, 2017
According to The Guardian, Ben Palmer, the director of the series, defended his decision to cast Fiennes in the role.
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“We were casting Michael Jackson in 2001 and that obviously is a challenge in terms of the physical resemblance,” he said. “We were really looking for the performance that could unlock the spirit, and we really think Joe Fiennes has done that. He’s given a really sweet, nuanced, characterful performance.”
(H/T: Irish Examiner)
