Most people assume that growing up a Jackson meant Jaafar always knew he would perform. The truth is completely different. As a kid, his only passion was golf. He competed in tournaments at age nine and had no real interest in music or acting.
THEN ONE NIGHT IN NEW YORK CHANGED EVERYTHING.
“When I first saw my father and uncles perform, it was the 30th anniversary of the Jacksons,” Jaafar said.
“They performed in New York. That was the only time I got to see Uncle Michael perform. Just seeing the fans’ reactions and the energy — that really inspired me to want to be in the music.”
Jaafar Was Not Into Acting – But That’s Where He Was Headed
That single concert performance in 2001 planted something in him that golf never could. He didn’t drop the clubs overnight, but the direction of his life had quietly taken a new path.
By thirteen, his father Jermaine, introduced him to music. A door opened, and he never looked back.
Acting was never even on his radar. When producer Graham King called him about the Michael biopic, Jaafar had zero film experience. HE SPENT A FULL YEAR WORKING WITH AN ACTING COACH BEFORE HE EVEN TRIED TO STEP INTO MICHAEL’S SHOES.
Then came the dancing, the voice work, the mannerisms — all of it built from scratch.
It Was Not Easy – Says Jaafar
He filmed the Thriller video recreation at the real location, two nights straight, sunrise to sunset, on freezing cement. His feet bled, but he kept going.
One moment in New York as a child set all of this in motion — and Jaafar never forgot it. That’s how far and deep Michael Jackson’s impact went!