The dancer and actor opens up about playing Tito Jackson in Lionsgate’s ‘Michael’
Before Rhyan Hill ever stepped onto a movie set as Tito Jackson, he was already the kind of performer who commands a stage. The dancer and actor turned heads at the Super Bowl alongside Kendrick Lamar, and now he’s showing up in a whole new way, taking on one of the most watched roles of the year in Lionsgate’s Michael, opening in theaters and IMAX on April 24.
What was the audition process like and how did it feel when you found out you got the part?
This is the most unique audition experience I’ve had. I had to send in a self-tape, I sent in some sides and a scene, and then they asked for a dance audition, to get some rhythm, because Jackson Five are known for their rhythm and their dancing. Then almost a year later, I got to my final callback, where it was Antoine, Graham, Rich, Tone, Prince Jackson, everybody was on the soundstage.
Rich and Tone gave me a guitar and just seeing me do some movement. From there, Graham and Antoine came up to me and were saying how great I did. And then they said I booked it on the spot, and I was starting rehearsal immediately. I was over the moon that I booked it. It still hasn’t hit me to this day that I’m in this film, but I’m so blessed and it’s such an honor to be a part of it.
How did you prepare to play someone as iconic as Tito Jackson?
I went through so many videos watching Tito, and the Victory Tour, and the Triumph Tour, and every Jackson Five. My favorite music video from them is Blame It on the Boogie, so I watched that a lot. I also watched interviews and looked at pictures. I wanted to know his personal story, to be able to embody him, and that all helped me. I loved the relationship that he had with all of his family and his sons, and that was fun to explore on set.
The film was shot at the actual Jackson locations. What was it like being there?
The majority of the locations were actual places where they had filmed it, Hayvenhurst, where they grew up in Encino. Thriller, they filmed it on the exact same alley. Seeing it all recreated, it was like going back in time. Filming things for the Victory Tour and wearing these outfits, it was surreal.
We spent so much time in rehearsals with Rich and Tone, who helped us with building that brotherly bond. We felt like we were being turned into the Jacksons, once we hit that stage, we felt like we were the Jacksons because of all the hard work. As a dancer, I was able to pick up the choreography pretty quickly, but I had never played the guitar before. I had to learn these iconic songs.
Once I found how to get the steps, it was learning how to dance with the guitar, and once I found a good rhythm with that, it was smooth sailing. Not smooth sailing, because it was still hard to do the guitar, but I spent so many hours working on it to get it down.
What was the most memorable moment from filming?
It was the first day of filming on set. The first thing we filmed was the Victory Tour, specifically when we walked down the stairs. We come up from a lift and walk down the stairs in the Victory Tour. That was memorable because we had 500 extras watching us dance and do all these performances.
It was the first moment that we were on camera and it felt like we were the Jacksons. We felt like we had superhero outfits, walking down the stairs and taking off the sunglasses. There was the first AD who said, “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the Jacksons,” and the whole audience clapped. That was memorable.
What was the energy like on set with the full cast?
Energy was through the roof. Every day, it was a party. Colman Domingo is hilarious, he’s so funny, he’s the one to crack jokes all the time, and every time he was on set, he’d always bring the energy. You could feel the love of Michael Jackson throughout the whole process. Going into the makeup and hair chair, there was Michael Jackson playing, and it never got old. You were immersed in the era.
For the Jackson Brothers, we bonded a lot through those rehearsals, which helped us to have that brotherly chemistry on screen, and it was so organic to portray them when we got to doing these more intimate scenes.
What do you think makes this Michael movie different from other projects about him?
This movie shines a light on how human Michael was. As much as everyone loves these big, iconic moments of him performing, it takes us into his inner workings and him discovering his independence to be the artist that we know and love. The film follows him from the Jackson Five era, through his formative years, through discovering independence to the beginning of the Bad Tour. Audiences are going to laugh, cry, dance, celebrate the whole way through.
What’s next for you beyond this film?
I have my hands in so many different things. I just finished my short film called Hit Men that got accepted into three film festivals that I directed, wrote, produced, and starred in. Comedy’s my first love, so I’m going to continue making films and creating my own stories. I’m going to continue growing in that space in hopes of being a showrunner. I’m so inspired by Quinta Brunson and Mindy Kaling and Rob McElhenney.
I’m a choreographer as well, so I’m continuing my choreography journey and teaching around the world this summer. I’m going to Canada and France to teach. I have dreams of bringing my choreography on a big stage, like Coachella, or BET Awards, or Grammys.
One thing I love is to be in another film that allows me to do acting and dancing and singing at the same time, like I was able to do for Michael. I grew up doing theater, where I did it all together. To be able to be in another film like that would be great.