“Off the Wall.” “Thriller.” “Invincible.” Michael Jackson’s album titles capture everything he brought to the stage—and everything the cast of Antoine Fuqua’s biopic about the King of Pop bring to their craft. Here’s what Colman Domingo (Joe Jackson), Kat Graham (Diana Ross), Tre’ Horton (Marlon Jackson), and Nia Long (Katherine Jackson) have to say about owning any room they walk into.
Fully inhabit your character.
On portraying X, a violent pimp, in 2020’s dark comedy “Zola”: “I really go for it. I wanted to unknow myself and change the way I speak…. I changed a lot of things that I know about myself. A great challenge is to find something human in someone you think is doing very inhuman things.” —Colman Domingo
“If I have an audition, I go to the audition in character. I’m in character when I walk in the room…. I fully dress the character; I do the makeup of the character; I do the hair of the character. I completely took off my eyebrows one time for a screen test. I hadn’t even gotten the role yet. So you have to have a commitment. A lot of actors go in and they might do it half-assed because they don’t want to just commit. But at least if you commit to a character they’ll remember you.” —Kat Graham
“I like to do a little subtlety in my auditions, especially for period pieces. I try not to go too costumey, just do a little hint of the era. Kind of a subtle way of saying that I fit the part.” —Tre’ Horton
On portraying Peggy, a woman struggling with addiction, in 2017’s drama “Roxanne Roxanne”: “I haven’t suffered from addiction, but I do know what it feels like to be temporarily broken, and I needed to tap into that.” —Nia Long
Give it your all.
“I know what I know. 80% of it is: I know what I know; I did my homework. And then the other 20% is: I have no idea what [the other actor] is going to do, and I have no idea how [the director] wants to stage it. I just have to experience all of that, and then all of that will make it honest and make it real.” —Colman Domingo
“I looked at [the audition scene for ‘Michael’] and was like, ‘There’s no way. This is too big. There’s no way I’m going to get this.’ But I still gave it my all, because I really wanted it and wanted to be a part of it in any kind of way…. There’s only room to give 110%.” —Tre’ Horton
Lean into your unique skill set.
“Trust that your uniqueness will be your superpower. For a long time, I felt that no one really understood what I did. ‘Are you a dramatic actor, or are you a character actor? Are you in the circus, or do you do Shakespeare? Do you write musicals or plays? Are you working in the television space, or do you work in the film space?’ I’m having such a prolific breakthrough because people finally realize, after so many years, [that] I do all of them. I would tell my younger self to continue to do all of them, and they will meet you where you live.” —Colman Domingo
“There’s a whole new generation of artists who are mesmerizing. They’re so audacious. They don’t care. They are who they are. It feels very revolutionary, in the most beautiful way. Nobody is hiding behind anything anymore. You don’t have to look a certain way to be a star. You can be open about who you are.” —Nia Long
Keep going, keep learning, and stay positive!
“I showed up because I wanted to learn everything. That’s exactly what I still do…. I’ve just always been that guy; I’m willing to learn and try something new, and I don’t have any limitations on that. I think that’s where my special skills section may be kind of extensive when it comes to language and accent—you name it. I’m curious, and anything that I’m cast in or a task that I’m given to take on, I work really hard.” —Colman Domingo
“Just keep going. I know it’s a very long process and it’s never overnight. But continue. Have a community of people who love what you do, grow together, and the sky’s the limit…. You have those days as a creative where it feels like talking to a blank wall. A lot of times you don’t get the feedback or the pat on the back. But if you just continue to grow and keep going, you’ll look back and know it was worth it.” —Tre’ Horton“I feel free. The possibilities are endless! I’m allowing myself to take a deep breath and really decide what I want to do next. I’m having more fun with myself, with the next phase of my career, the next phase of myself.” —Nia Long