Rocio Mateos
Michael Jackson’s Lifetime biopic, ‘Michael Jackson: Searching for Neverland,’ aired on Monday, May 29, exploring the last days of the late singer.
The unauthorized biopic is based on the 2014 best-selling book ‘Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days.’ A story told by Jackson’s bodyguards Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard.
In the biopic, Jackson is played by world-famous impersonator Navi – who is said to have been hired by Jackson himself as a stand-in on several occasions – in his acting debut. It is set by the time the singer returned from Bahrain and decided to settle down in Las Vegas, all the way to his death in June 2009.
The two-hour movie revealed some secrets and facts about the pop star. Showing a wider view of Jackson’s private and public persona.
Check out the 13 most surprising revelations of Michael Jackson’s biopic
1. Jackson used to put masks on his children’s faces to hide their identities from the public. He called this routine “dress up” and turned it into a game to make the kids follow his lead easily. They even were told not to use their real names.
2. A photographer once took a photo of his son Blanket with Javon tracking him down. Jackson’s then-assistant, Corey Feldman, destroyed the photo, and the singer had to pay the photographer $75,000. According to his bodyguard Bill, he fired Feldman afterward.
3. It was also revealed that Jackson and Dr. Conrad Murray first met when his daughter Paris fell ill and needed urgent medical attention. Fearing of paparazzi, he refused to take her to the hospital and requested a private physician instead. Murray became Jackson’s personal physician and after the star’s death, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter for the murder of the singer in 2009, from an overdose of propofol. He was sentenced to four years in jail but was released two years earlier.
4. Always ready, the King of Pop used to carry around the Oscar statue for ‘Gone With the Wind’ and a briefcase of $200,000 and passports, only for an emergency purpose.
5. Bill revealed that the pop star really adored his fans, and had his fan mails delivered to him. He would also tell the police it was OK to let his fans wait outside his house.
6. In one scene, Jackson cut open his hand pulling a surveillance camera from a wall in a Washington D.C. hotel.
7. Jackson always brought his own hot sauce and spray butter into the movies for his popcorn. That’s what I call a man that knows what he wants!
8. His favorite actor was Charlie Chaplin, while one of his favorite songs is Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.”
9. As a Jehovah’s witness, he didn’t celebrate Christmas. However, he would let his children celebrate and follow the traditions.
10. The only Jackson sibling shown in the movie is Michael’s younger brother Randy. In one scene, he is seen driving through a gate, demanding money he said Michael owed him. In a previous scene, Michael’s father Joe Jackson was told he needed an appointment to see his son, but he was still called in to deal with Randy. That was the night of Elizabeth Taylor’s birthday party. Michael decided to not attend, as he felt nervous Randy would follow him there.
11. There was a time when Jackson was drowning in bills, and couldn’t even afford to pay his bodyguards for five months. Nevertheless, they didn’t leave their job as they felt very protective of their client and his children.
12. In order to pay off his debts – and buy a new home –, Jackson was advised to do a Las Vegas residency, but the singer refused. He allegedly told Bill it would “kill” him to perform five nights a week.
13. Bill and Javon were not supposed to reveal any details about their job to anybody – including who they worked for. Their personal relationships got really affected because of this. Bill even said that he once missed Christmas with his daughter to be with the family.
