The director of the new Michael Jackson biopic has shared his opinion on the accusations made against the singer during his lifetime.
In 1993, Evan Chandler, a dentist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, accused Jackson of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son Jordan, which the artist denied. The case was concluded when the two parties reached a financial settlement in 1994.
In 2013, four years after Jackson’s death, choreographer Wade Robson filed a lawsuit against his estate, saying Jackson had sexually abused him between the ages of seven and 14. Former child actor James Safechuck also came forward with allegations.
Jackson’s estate has continuously denied all allegations of sexual abuse made against him.
Michael, the film about his life, is released on April 22, and reportedly underwent costly reshoots to change the third act after it emerged the production was not legally allowed to portray Jordan Chandler on screen.
Antoine Fuqua, the director of the film, spoke to The New Yorker ahead of the movie’s release, and the subject of the allegations made against Jackson was brought up.
The New Yorker article described his opinion in the following way: “Fuqua is not convinced that Jackson did what he is accused of doing, despite the number of accusers (five) and the fact that Jackson publicly talked about sharing his bed with boys.”
“When I hear things about us — Black people in particular, especially in a certain position — there’s always pause,” Fuqua said, with the article noting that the director “was sceptical of some of the accusers’ parents, particularly Chandler’s father, who was recorded threatening to ensure that Jackson was ‘humiliated beyond belief.’”
Fuqua then emphasised that he didn’t know the truth behind any allegations made against Jackson, but speculated that “sometimes people do some nasty things for some money.”
Recently, Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, criticised the production, making it clear that she had no involvement in the film.
