Jaafar Jackson’s ‘Michael’ Performance Is Already Landing Awards Nominations Before Season Even Begins

Awards season is still months away, but Jaafar Jackson is already collecting nominations for his portrayal of Michael Jackson in ‘Michael,’ and the momentum behind his performance is building in a way that is impossible to ignore. The young actor has now received his second awards recognition even before the traditional fall campaign season gets underway.

The Hollywood Creative Alliance has nominated Jackson for Best Actor at their 2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards, which honor the best films from the first half of the calendar year. He is competing alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor for ‘Backrooms,’ Leo Woodall for ‘Tuner,’ Ralph Fiennes for ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ Robert Pattinson for ‘The Drama,’ and Ryan Gosling for ‘Project Hail Mary,’ with the winners set to be announced on June 30.

Colman Domingo, who plays Joe Jackson in the biopic, also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the same ceremony, meaning the film is represented in multiple acting categories despite being bypassed entirely for Best Picture. That split reflects a broader pattern in how industry observers have received ‘Michael,’ with near-universal praise for the performances landing alongside more divided reactions to the film itself.

Jaafar is the son of Jermaine Jackson and Michael Jackson’s nephew, and he went through a two-year casting process before being confirmed in the lead role in December 2023. His grandmother, Katherine Jackson, gave her approval of the casting, stating publicly that he embodies her son. Though the film received mixed reviews overall, Jackson’s individual performance was widely acclaimed by critics.

Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman singled out the performance specifically, writing that Jackson captures Michael’s “tentative high sugary voice just right” while also showing how that famous personality evolved over time. The consensus across reviews has been that whatever one thinks of the screenplay’s choices, the central performance is the film’s most undeniable asset.

Awards analysts have been pointing toward the Golden Globes as a likely early staging ground for Jackson’s campaign, with the view that the kind of physically commanding star turn he delivers in the film’s recreation of the ‘Bad’ World Tour has a long history of resonating with awards bodies even when the surrounding film receives mixed notices.

With ‘Michael’ now approaching $1 billion globally and a sequel already confirmed to be in development, the cultural moment around this film shows no sign of cooling. Jackson also received the key to the city of Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson’s birthplace, during a ceremony earlier this year as part of the film’s promotional rollout. By the time the formal awards season arrives later this year, his name is likely to be one of the most recognizable on any shortlist.

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