EXCLUSIVE: The Michael Jackson biopic “whitewashes” sex abuse claims made against the star and cutting them out of the movie wouldn’t do justice to the impact they had on him, a close pal said
A former bodyguard and close pal of Michael Jackson has slammed a new biopic film for ‘whitewashing’ the sex abuse claims made against the star.
The new movie, based on the life of the ‘King of Pop’, is set to hit the big screen next year but a trailer released this week has become the most watched of all time – already amassing 150 million views.
But Matt Fiddes, who was one of Jacko’s closest confidants for many years, says that while all the allegations made against him were ‘proven untrue’, to cut them out of the movie wouldn’t do justice to the impact they had on him.
He said the biopic ‘Michael’ must reference the allegations that plagued Jackson from 1993 when he was accused of child abuse by 13-year-old Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler.
Speaking after the release of the trailer, Matt said: “Look I’ve been Michael’s biggest supporter but you can’t just airbrush out this part of his life.
“Michael was a huge mentor to me and he would want the truth out there. Apparently Michael signed a document saying the allegations could never be dramatised. There have been so many edits and rewrites that certain references to Jordan Chandler have had to be taken out.
“There is even a tape recording out there I heard that was going to be used in the movie showing the allegations against Jackson was a set up scam for money by the Chandlers.
“I get that abuse claims were proven as false but a movie about Michael’s life has to have balance and his die-hard fans won’t want it like it’s portrayed.”
Matt, who now who owns the largest brand of martial arts and dance schools in the world and is worth over £120M, became one of Jackson’s closest pals up until his death in 2009 aged 50.
Jackson’s daughter Paris, 27, has already distanced herself from the film which she claims has been ‘sugar-coated’ and Matt said he shared her concerns.
He added: “I totally agree with Paris and the Michael Jackson fans are not happy that the biopic may not show the struggles the real Michael had behind the scenes and the vultures he had to deal with after his huge wealth.”
‘Michael’ is due for release on April 24 next year with the singer being played by Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, 29, and promises to highlight both his life off stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career.
Matt added: “The films about Freddie Mercury and Elton John, whilst good in their own right, suffered because much of the dark sides of their lives, such as their drug and alcohol use, were swept under the carpet as if they never happened.
“To really understand such a complex character as Michael you have to see his life from every angle the good and the bad. I know the Michael Jackson estate who are behind the film are going to extreme lengths to keep the plot and script a top secret and trying to wipe out untruths about Michael.”
Matt, who runs his multi million pound empire from his international head office in Devon, was introduced to Jackson through the illusionist Uri Geller in the summer of 1998.
He added: “Uri felt Michael needed extra protection and with my martial arts background thought I’d be perfect. I did it for free as I saw he was struggling financially at the time and being taken advantage of by bodyguard companies.
“Although Michael taught me to build a brand and franchise my business so it was a win, win friendship. I flew around the world with him for years and became his confidant. And was always on end of the phone for him through the dark times.
“I was there for his child abuse trial in 2005 but had never ever witnessed anything that concerned me. If I had of course I would have reported it. The last time I saw Michael was in March 2009 three months before his death in June.
“We did speak just two days before he died on the phone before he was about to start his 50 shows at the O2 in London. His death came as a terrible shock to me. I have my own theories on what happened to Michael but I’ll always be grateful to him.”
Matt was this week awarded his 8th degree black belt by Grandmaster Richard Hopkins in front of 3000 people recently in Bath and inducted into WUMA (World United Martial arts federation) the martial arts hall of fame.
He was also given a lifetime achievement award for “revolutionising” the industry. He added: “Michael taught me to be a pioneer not a follower and I owe a lot to him.
“He was the person who suggested I expanded my martial arts business globally by franchising and believing in myself. If it wasn’t for him my life could have been completely different. Personally, I can’t wait to see the movie.
“Whatever your thoughts are about Michael and his life you can’t dispute he was a musical legend.”
Since the trailer for the movie was released, it has already clocked up close to 150 million views making it one of the biggest movie trailers in history.
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