Jaafar Jackson has worn the skin of his uncle, Michael Jackson, for the upcoming biopic, but he kept the big news a secret from his family for a year.

Jaafar is a 29-year-old nephew, born to Jermaine Jackson (Michael's brother), of a pop star who died at 50 in 2009. He plays the late music icon in his biopic Michael.

Recently, during a conversation with Interview magazine, where Jaafar was joined by costar Miles Teller, who portrays Jackson's lawyer and manager in the movie, the two reflected on their first meeting.

Teller recalled she saw Jaafar the last time when Jaafar's mother, Alejandra, saw Michael for the first time.

"She came to set one time, but she wasn’t aware of what to expect," Jaafar said. "Even in the process of preparing for it, I didn’t tell her for a full year."

Teller asked what he meant. He didn’t tell his mother when the role was finalized?

"No. No one in my family knew for a full year,” Jaafar replied. “I kept it pretty quiet until I felt comfortable enough to share it. But when my mom saw it on-screen, it blew her away. It was hard for her to connect it to me, so it was very emotional for her."

Michael opens in cinemas on Friday, April 24.