has revealed her scenes in the new biopic have ended up on the cutting room floor.
Showbiz
Kat Grahams Diana Ross Role Axed from Biopic
Kat Graham has revealed her scenes in the new Michael Jackson biopic have ended up on the cutting room floor. Michael, the upcoming film about the late King of ...
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was reportedly set to address allegations of child molestation the singer faced, only for the plot to be removed after producers learned they were prohibited from mentioning of one of Jackson's accusers.
Graham, 36, played Jackson's good friend in the movie but has now announced her part had been removed as a result of unspecified 'legal considerations'.
In a statement released the day before Michael was set to debut, she shared with her Instagram followers: 'Ahead of the April 24 release of the Michael Jackson film, I want to share that certain legal considerations affected a few scenes, including the ones I filmed with an incredible cast.
'Unfortunately, those moments are no longer part of the final cut, though the team worked hard to preserve as much of the story as possible,' she added.
Jackson and Ross starred in the cult classic hit 'The Wiz' in 1978 and the songstress inducted The Jackson 5 into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
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Actress Kat Graham has revealed her scenes in the new Michael Jackson biopic were cut as a result of 'legal considerations'
Graham played music icon Diana Ross, Michael Jackson's good friend
Their relationship was so important to the King of Pop, that Ross was named as a backup guardian for Jackson's three children in case his mother Katherine Jackson couldn't take care of them.
Ross was long-time friends with Jackson who starred with him in The Wiz
Graham released a statement announcing her part's exclusion the day before Michael's release
The King of Pop was portrayed by his real-life nephew Jaafar Jackson
The film had references to child abuse allegations Jackson faced during his life removed
Filmmakers were then forced to shoot a new ending, which delayed the movie's release by roughly one year.
Several key figures in Jackson's life refused to participate in the film, including his sister Janet.
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'She was asked and she kindly declined so you have to respect her wishes,' LaToya Jackson told reporters at Michael's Hollywood premiere this week.
Jackson's daughter Paris has also slammed the film, claiming that she felt that the script was 'dishonest'.
'They're gonna make whatever they're gonna make. The big reason why I haven't said anything up until this point is because I know a lot of you guys are gonna be happy with it,' Paris said last September.
'The film panders to a very specific section of my dad's fandom that still lives in a fantasy, and they're gonna be happy with it,' she continued.
'The thing about these biopics is it’s Hollywood. It’s fantasyland — it’s not real.
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'But it’s sold to you as real, and a lot of sugar-coated… the narrative is being controlled. There's a lot of inaccuracy and there's a lot of full-blown lies. At the end of the day, that doesn't really fly with me. I don’t really like dishonesty.'
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