Joseph Fiennes Expresses Regret Over ‘Whitewashing’ With Michael Jackson Role, Says It Was A ‘Bad Mistake’

Joseph Fiennes opened up about his role in playing Michael Jackson in a 2016 episode of Urban Myths. 

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Shakespeare In Love actor said that people were “right to be upset” and that giving him the role “was a wrong decision” and a “bad mistake.” The decision to cast Fiennes as Michael Jackson caused a significant backlash, accusing the actor of “whitewashing.” 

Fans even created a petition to boycott the episode. 

“Despite a public struggle with vitiligo, a rare skin disorder that results in the loss of pigment, [Jackson] identified in interviews as a proud black man, and went out of his way to fight for better treatment of black artists in the entertainment industry,” the petition stated. 

Jackson’s family was outraged by the casting decision. His daughter, Paris Jackson, tweeted in 2017, “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.”

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Jackson’s nephew, Taj Jackson, weighed in on the controversy and said, “Unfortunately this is what my family has to deal with. No words could express the blatant disrespect.”

Because of the backlash it caused, the episode was never aired, and Fiennes confessed to being one of the reasons for its cancellation. 

“I asked the broadcaster to pull it,” he explained. “And there were some pretty hefty discussions, but ultimately people made the right choice.”

Fiennes’ expression of regret comes in an interview about his new role as the English football manager, Gareth Southgate, in the play Dear England. The play will be performed at the National Theatre in London until August 11.