Chris Wasser

But the story does begin in 1966 with Joe Jackson, played by Coleman Domingo, Michael Jackson's father, that is, rounding up his boys in the house and saying, you're going to be a band.

You guys are going to be superstars and teaching them how to be superstars.

Well, not maybe teaching them, bullying them into that life.

And he bullied Michael the most because he was the youngest.

As far as Joe was concerned, he was an easy target.

And also maybe because he was the most talented and potentially that annoyed Joe that he had this talented son.

He basically wanted that life for himself.

So he was living vicariously through his boys.

By the way, this I'm getting from reading stuff about the Jackson family elsewhere.

You won't get any of that in this film.

But we have all of that stuff.

We have the signing to Motown in 1969.

We have, you know, the move from Gary, Indiana to California, the mansion and all the money and the fame.

And then we have the moment where the Motown boys turn around and say, Michael, you're the real star and you should release a solo album.

But what that would do then to an already fractious relationship between Joe and Michael.

When Michael Jackson was a kid, his father beat him.

He really did.

And then when he became an adult, the physical abuse turned to emotional abuse.

And when Michael was at the top of his game, releasing Off the Wall and Triller and coming out with this incredible pop music, his father was in the background saying, you're not good enough.

You need your brothers and you need me.