‘Michael’s Jaafar Jackson Nominated for Best Actor at the Creators’ Choice Awards

Awards season chatter around Jaafar Jackson has barely slowed down since ‘Michael‘ hit theaters back in April, and the momentum behind his performance as his own late uncle keeps finding new ways to build. What started as a modest hope that critics might warm up to a first-time actor stepping into one of the most scrutinized roles in recent memory has since snowballed into a genuine awards campaign, one that keeps picking up new hardware and recognition almost every few weeks.

That trend continued this week with word that Jackson has landed a Best Actor nomination at the Creators’ Choice Awards, under a category branded The Garland King, honoring the best actor performances of the year’s midpoint. He is up against a genuinely stacked field that includes Robert Aramayo for ‘I Swear’, Robert Pattinson for ‘The Drama’, Michael Johnston for ‘Obsession’, Ryan Gosling for ‘Project Hail Mary’, and Ralph Fiennes for ’28 Years Later, The Bone Temple’. Voting for the category is open to the public, with winners set to be announced on August 7.

What makes this nomination notable is how it fits into a pattern that has defined Jackson’s entire awards run so far. His breakout performance has repeatedly found favor not just with critics and industry panels, but specifically with public voting bodies, suggesting his portrayal has resonated with everyday audiences in a way that goes beyond insider buzz.

That pattern was already well established heading into this latest nod. Jackson previously took home Best Actor at the 2026 Astra Midseason Movie Awards, beating out a field that included Chiwetel Ejiofor for ‘Backrooms’, Leo Woodall for ‘Tuner’, Ralph Fiennes for ’28 Years Later, The Bone Temple’, and Ryan Gosling for ‘Project Hail Mary’, who finished as runner up. Just two days later, he added two more trophies at the National Film Awards UK, winning both Outstanding Performance and Best Newcomer for his work in the film.

Since that particular ceremony relies entirely on public voting rather than critics or industry panels, those wins were viewed as a clear signal that everyday moviegoers were responding just as strongly to Jackson’s performance as awards insiders were. The same public facing structure applies to the Creators Choice Awards nomination, reinforcing the idea that Jackson’s take on his uncle has connected broadly rather than just within critical circles.

None of this recognition was guaranteed, given how unconventional Jackson’s path to the role actually was. He had virtually no formal acting background before landing the part, with his only prior screen credit being an appearance on the 2015 reality series ‘The Jacksons, Next Generation’. Producer Graham King has spoken about how Jackson skipped a traditional audition entirely, instead sending King a voice note of himself speaking in character as Michael, a gamble that led to a lengthy, multiple-year casting and coaching process before he was officially confirmed for the role.

Jackson’s performance has continued to draw praise even from critics who were otherwise lukewarm on the film as a whole. Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman singled out his work specifically, writing that Jackson captures Michael’s tentative, high, sugary voice just right while also showing how that famous personality evolved over time, a sentiment echoed across much of the film’s critical coverage despite its more mixed overall reception.

The commercial side of the story has only added fuel to the awards conversation. ‘Michael’ has become one of the defining box office stories of the year, recently crossing the billion-dollar mark globally and closing in on becoming the highest-grossing release of 2026, a trajectory that industry watchers have compared to how ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ managed to overcome mixed reviews to become a major awards contender years ago.

With voting now open to the public for the Creators Choice Awards and the winner set to be revealed on August 7, Jackson’s growing trophy case shows no signs of slowing down as the broader fall awards season approaches. Do you think Jaafar Jackson’s performance in ‘Michael’ deserves the Best Actor win at the Creators Choice Awards, and how far do you think his awards run can go from here? Let us know in the comments.