Exclusive: Did Critics Want Michael to Flop?

While some of us are still recovering from the brilliance of Michael, others are already asking whether the biopic will have a part 2. It’s only a week into the film’s historic release. Much like Michael Jackson, the film’s director Antoine Fuqua is a hitmaker. Fuqua enlisted the legendary Larenz Tate to take on the role of Motown’s visionary founder Berry Gordy in Michael.

Most of us were first introduced to Berry Gordy in the 1998 Temptations miniseries. Obba Babatunde made his mark as Gordy. And with all the Black music biopics out there, Michael still manages to stand out with help from the charasmatic Larenz Tate as Berry Gordy.

Larenz Tate spoke with me about his impressive career, being underestimated as a Black creative, and the possibility of another Michael film.

Shauntrice Martin: You’re most of my friends’ ’90s crush, so forgive me if I stutter.

Larenz Tate: That’s alright, I appreciate you.

They Underestimate, We Celebrate

Martin: Your performance in Michael is part of the reason that it is the biggest biopic ever. I think it’s at $217 million worldwide despite some critics wanting it to flop. And we saw this with Sinners and other classic Black films. How do you deal with being underestimated as a Black creative?

You have to continue to stay true to what you’re doing, tell the story that you wanna tell, and perform the way you believe it needs to be performed.

Tate: It’s one of those things that it almost is to be expected in in certain ways, but it’s certainly not something that defines us. It’s something that we don’t focus on…not just for Black creatives but just people in general. As artists we put our creativity out there and sometimes we’re not gonna get the full-fledged support, but you can’t focus on that. You have to continue to stay true to what you’re doing tell the story that you wanna tell and perform the way you believe it needs to be performed.

Let the fans and the people who really want to support what you be the bottom line. That’s what’s happened with our film so we didn’t focus on any of the loud noise. The only noise we were focused on was the cheers and everyone clapping and dancing and having a good time.

When Can We Expect Another Michael Film?

Martin: People don’t talk enough about your range for me. From the Inkwell to O-Dog, to Frankie Lymon, which is one of my favorites. If there’s a part two of Michael, what more would you want to show us from Berry Gordy’s life?

Tate: Thank you for sharing the fact that you all have been checking me out for a long time. Just to hear that, over three decades, WOW. It is important for me to build a career that I can look back and be proud of…there’s a bit of a legacy that I can leave. People can be inspired and motivated by it. [That’s] really beautiful.

Being a part of this movie is uplifting. It reminds me that there are still great roles out there–no matter how big or small–that I can really sort of lean into. I’m always looking for those challenges.

I don’t know all the answers to what happens in terms of the future of other stories that will come from this or a continuation of Michael. The focus is really staying in this moment; being in a place where we’re all on cloud nine that people are loving what we’ve already created. Time will tell if we’re able to take it to the next level and see more of Michael’s story and those who were part of his journey. Once you know, I’ll know.

And in the meantime, we’re going to continue to watch the movie that we’ve created right now.

Martin: Absolutely. And I know you probably couldn’t even tell me even if you know.

Tate: [smiles like he knows]

Did Berry Gordy Stay With You?

Martin: I enjoyed the tension between you and Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Berry Gordy. It really felt like beef, but it wasn’t over the top. Then you also had the tenderness with Michael so for you and all these roles over the years, how much of the character stays with you after you finish filming?

Tate: There’s a bit of yourself in all these characters. You try to find a way to embody them as much as you possibly can. I like to really focus, lean into it. My family knows once I’m in it–I’m IN it. Once it’s done, I like to walk away. There’s a lot of life for me to live in characters, but being myself is really important. I never want to get too far away from who I am. My family might still feel like “you still in character”, but I’m actually shedding. But it does stay with you sometimes.

For me with Berry, I think just his mindset of being a businessman, a person who recognized talent, a person who wants people who look like us to become megastars and beyond and who hopes that we can do things globally in a real way is something that really sticks to me.

What Michael Jackson and Larenz Tate Can Teach Us

Our conversation can serve as an affirmation for Black artists. While there are certainly critics who will always underestimate Black films and expect us to flop, Larenz Tate’s career and words remind us that doubters do not define us. Because he is such a kind and patient person, Larenz Tate graciously answered asked one final question. I think I did a good job masking my fan girl urges. Millennials can probably guess which two he chose.

Check out Taji Mag and OKIKE for a bonus interview clip with the answer!