Colman Domingo has revealed the gruelling physical transformation required to play Joe Jackson. The Oscar-nominated actor spent two-and-a-half hours each day in the makeup chair, undergoing a complete prosthetic overhaul for the role in Michael.
Colman Domingo spent 2.5 hours in makeup and prosthetics to play Joe Jackson in Michael
Domingo shared the details during a Tuesday appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. A photograph of the actor in character prompted host Jimmy Fallon to express shock at the unrecognisable transformation. “That’s two-and-a-half hours of prosthetics,” Domingo explained. “I had a great time with that role and really, it meant everything.”
The process went far beyond facial moulds. Domingo also wore coloured eye contacts to precisely match the distinctive look of Michael Jackson’s father. The dedication to physical accuracy was just one layer of a much deeper commitment to the character.
Domingo insisted that capturing a real person demands more than surface-level imitation. He told Fallon that his preparation begins the moment he gets cast, consuming roughly 40 hours a week of independent research before stepping onto a set. This includes studying archival video, examining the specific years surrounding the story, and absorbing every available detail about the figure he is portraying.
“You want to do soul work, to be honest. You don’t want mimicry on anything,” Domingo said. “You want to find the soul of a person and advocate for that.” That philosophy was tested during the production, which Domingo later described as a difficult shoot. He previously stated to The Hollywood Reporter, “This was not an easy shoot, I will not shy away from that.”
Michael, released in April, went on to become the second-highest-grossing biopic of all time by May. Behind that commercial success lay a turbulent creative process that included dramatic revisions to the script. Those changes pulled Domingo’s Joe Jackson into a more central role than originally conceived.
