Colman Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson in the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic Michael, has responded politely to Paris Jackson’s recent criticism of the movie. The actor was hopeful that the King’s daughter would eventually see the project as a heartfelt tribute.

Antoine Fuqua directed the movie Michael, which stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael Jackson’s nephew, as the pop star. The main filming ended in 2024. It has a star-studded cast, with Nia Long as Katherine Jackson and Miles Teller as attorney John Branca. The movie is set to come out in theaters around the world on April 24, 2026.

Last year, Paris Jackson publicly denied being involved in the biopic, saying that Domingo was lying when he said she was “helpful” and supported the film after a short conversation. She said that early drafts of the script were wrong and “full-blown lies,” and she said, “It’s not my circus.” Domingo had called Paris and her brother Prince “lovely and warm” before he got ready to play the controversial Jackson patriarch.

In a recent interview, Domingo blocked out the “noise” of the public to focus on Joe Jackson’s humanity and give him credit for shaping legendary artists. He hopes Paris “eventually loves the tribute” and thanks director Fuqua for showing how the family works. The actor stressed that finding out more about the “hard-driving” character was more important than any controversy.