In a sneak peek of Torrei Hart’s new episode of Torrei Hart Brutally Honest, actor Flex Alexander takes a trip down memory lane and finally opens up about playing one of the most controversial roles of his career—Michael Jackson.
While chatting about the 2004 made-for-TV film Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, Flex got real about how the role came his way, why he took it, and what he absolutely refused to do.
“So I get a call from my manager. He’s like, ‘Hey, uh yeah, I got this movie they’re doing about Michael Jackson, and they wanna meet with you.’ I’m like, what? ‘Yeah, Michael Jackson. You know, it’s not authorized, but they’re doing stuff just off of court documents and stuff like that.’ And I was like, ‘They know I’m 6’4 and I’m chocolate, right?’ Let’s just go meet them,” he recalled. “I’m like, alright… and then I get a call, they say, hey, we wanna offer you the movie. I’m like, ‘I didn’t even do anything!’”
Despite the public side-eye and early criticism, Flex said the check looked good enough for him to say yes. But not without boundaries.
Why Flex Drew the Line at a Fake Nose
When asked if the production team ever laid out what the role would entail—including white powder makeup to lighten his skin and costume choices—Flex made one thing clear: he wasn’t about to disrespect himself or MJ like that.
“I refused to wear it. I said no to the nose. I’m not putting that sh*t on.”
Yep, Flex drew the line at a fake prosthetic nose. While many people had a lot to say about the casting when the movie dropped, some folks actually gave him props for his performance—even if the film itself was a mess.
“People said to me, ‘You did a great job,’” he shared. “But overall, the budget… the movie was sh*t.”
The Controversy Behind ‘Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story’
When Man in the Mirror aired in 2004, it quickly became one of the most controversial biopics ever made. Why? Because the movie was completely unauthorized by Michael Jackson or his estate—and relied heavily on public court documents, tabloid headlines, and speculation.
Many fans called the casting “wildly disrespectful,” especially with Flex Alexander being visibly taller, darker-skinned, and built completely different from MJ. Social media (and even mainstream outlets at the time) clowned the decision to put him in heavy white makeup without even trying to make the visuals believable.
Even Flex himself knew what it was—and he didn’t try to sugarcoat it in this new interview.
“The movie was what it was,” he said. “I did my best with what I had.”
Where To Watch Flex Alexander Talk More About the Role
If you’re curious to hear Flex Alexander break it all the way down, the full episode of Torrei Hart Brutally Honest is out now. In it, he talks more about how the project came to be, the backlash he faced, and what it really meant to play one of the most misunderstood entertainers of all time.