Pop Culture

Deon Cole Says Talking to His Deceased Mother Helped Him Land 'Michael' Role

"I always talk to my mom."

Deon Cole
(Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/WireImage)

Deon Cole believes that his role in the Michael biopic comes from a combination of praying to God and his deceased mother.

During an interview on Sway’s Universe, Cole explained the story of how he got cast in Michael as legendary promoter Don King. He revealed that he really wanted to be in the film, but he wasn’t able to initially because filming had wrapped.

“The movie was done, and I was like, ‘damn, I wish I could have been in there,’” Cole said. But shortly after, the comedian believes his prayers were answered when he received a call back.

“When you have people on the other side like my mom…I always talk to my mom,” he said. “I still do. I be telling her, I wish I could get this role. I wish I could get that one.”

“They said they had a legal issue when they were shooting the movie, and they had to scrap the whole third act and make it about the Victory Tour.”

From there, Cole said it came down to the team behind the movie reaching out to him to “make that happen.”

“My prayers from my mom and God,” Cole added, explaining it as the reason the call happen. “They called me up, and I couldn’t believe it. Next thing you know, I was at the Jackson estate, and we were shooting.”

Michael has been an immense success at the box office, with the movie recently surpassing the billion-dollar milestone and becoming the top-grossing musician biopic of all-time.

Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson revealed that the sequel to the film could start production later this year or early next year, with plans to release the film at the end of next year or early in 2028.

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