Flex Alexander is looking back and laughing at one of the strangest moments in his career: playing Michael Jackson in the 2004 made-for-TV biopic “Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story.”

The actor told “The Art of Dialogue” that he auditioned out of admiration, expecting the project to be an “homage,” only to find the finished film and the fallout were far from what he imagined.

Alexander said producers promised rights to Jackson’s music, which shaped his approach to the role. “So at that time, imagine hearing that and thinking it's going to be like the movie that's coming out with Jaafar playing his uncle,” he recalled, referring to the 2025 movie, where MJ’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson portrays the King of Pop. “I'm thinking like that's what it's going to be like.” But lawyers later told him the music wouldn’t be used, a change that undercut the tribute he’d been told he was helping create.

Two of Flex’s complaints were that the production’s decision to airbrush white paint onto him to simulate vitiligo and that Jackson himself was upset over the project. “He made comments about [the movie]. He was upset, but he never said anything about me or my performance,” Alexander said, noting Jackson’s frustration was over the film’s focus on allegations and not a personal critique of his work. 

With time, Alexander said he can laugh at the misfire. He admitted he watched the film on YouTube and called it “pretty bad,” though the role remains a wild, teachable moment. All eyes are always on Michael Jackson’s legacy. With the latest MJ film, “Michael” critics have already dragged this version too!