As 'Michael' danced back to the top of the box office this weekend, the success of the Michael Jackson biopic is way more than a fun story and great numbers. For Larenz Tate, the actor who plays Motown founder Berry Gordy, the film's success is also a reminder of what the King of Pop's music has always done best: bring people together across race, language, geography, and generation.
The Lionsgate biopic reclaimed the No. 1 spot at the North American box office in its fourth weekend, earning about $26.1 million from May 15 to May 17 and pushing 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' out of the way, for a global total past $700 million, according to Variety. The film, starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle Michael Jackson, has become one of the year's biggest box office stories, overcoming mixed reviews and controversy with strong audience turnout.
For Tate, that audience response tracks with what he believes the movie is offering.
"We put some fun back into going to the movie theaters," Tate told this reporter. "All of us are part of that, supporting that movement, come together, enjoy and have a great time."
Directed by Anthony Fuqua and written by John Logan, 'Michael' follows Jackson from his childhood in Gary, Indiana, through his rise with the Jackson 5, Motown, and his transformation into a solo superstar. The cast also includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Juliano Krue Valdi as young Michael, Miles Teller as attorney John Branca and Tate as Gordy, the Motown architect who helped turn the Jackson 5 into a national phenomenon.
Tate's role is not the biggest in the film, but it lands at a crucial emotional point. His Berry Gordy enters as a music mogul, yes, but also as a man who understands that talent needs protection, not just discipline. He is also the first person that shows Michael that somebody can stand up to his father.
In one of the film's most charged scenes, he confronts Joe Jackson and makes clear that, inside Motown, Michael and his brothers are in a different world. "Barry Gordy is a music mogul. He is an architect at finding talent, developing great artists and making them stars," Tate said. "And there's a process. And he had to set a boundary with Joe Jackson to let him understand that, listen, in my world and our world, we got this."
That scene, Tate said, was built around power, control and the fragile space where a child performer could still be allowed to be a child.
"Barry was able to allow Michael to find his own way and to instill in him that he's something special," Tate said. "There was something unique about him, and he wanted to make sure that Michael understood that being around Motown and being with them, they were going to be safe. And there was a safe space for Michael to create and also be a kid."
The intensity of the moment was heightened by Domingo's performance as Joe Jackson. Tate said filming the scene required both actors to lean into the pressure of two powerful men clashing over control.
"It was definitely tense because you have the great Colman Domingo playing Joe Jackson," Tate said. "Just the intensity there was really necessary." He added that Fuqua encouraged him to take command of the scene: "Yes, set that boundary, take over and make sure that this is your kingdom."
The physical transformation also mattered. Tate said he wanted to honor Gordy's look and presence, especially after watching Jaafar, Domingo and Long disappear into their roles.
"Seeing Jaafar Jackson transform into Michael, to see Colman transform into Joe and Nia Long into Katherine, it was only right that each character, in particular at those times, were true as they can be," Tate said. "For me to become Berry Gordy, it was really nice with all the beards and the hair."
He joked that the look helped him leave himself behind.
"I just felt like I was there," Tate said. "I can kind of shed who I am as Larenz and then become someone else."
But the conversation around Michael is not only about Jackson, Motown or even the music industry. Tate also sees the film as part of a broader cultural conversation, especially for Black and Latino audiences. The point came up naturally because several central performers in the movie have Latino roots, including Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo and Nia Long. Tate, who grew up in Chicago and has spent much of his life around strong Black and Latino communities, said that connection is not incidental.
"The unity is always important, especially when we talk about the Black and Brown community," Tate said. "Me coming from Chicago and also spending a lot of time in Los Angeles, for sure that we are connected."
He said the film's message fits that shared experience.
"What is important to know with all of us is that we're more alike than we're not," Tate said. "We're all very much so a lot closer than we like to think and we like to believe."
That may help explain why Michael has not slowed down at the box office. The film opened to a massive $97 million domestically, the biggest opening ever for a biographical film, according to AP and People. It has continued to pull audiences back to theaters, becoming the second highest-grossing biopic of all time, behind only Bohemian Rhapsody.
For fans, Jackson's story is personal. For Tate, the movie's power comes from the way it presents Jackson not just as an icon, but as a child shaped by family, discipline, fear, genius and the people who recognized his gift early.
"One of those things that Michael and his message is just like us coming together in unity and making music for the world, making music for all of us to enjoy," Tate said. "This movie is for everybody to come and enjoy. Come together, enjoy and have a great time."
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
