Tre’ Horton grew up performing in Georgia, moved to Los Angeles in 2023, and within a year landed the role of Marlon Jackson in Lionsgate’s Michael, one of the most anticipated films this year. For someone who has been performing since age 8, the timing felt less like luck and more like preparation finally meeting its moment.
How does it feel going from Georgia to a major Hollywood biopic?
It feels surreal. I came out to LA to pursue my dreams of becoming an entertainer, and never in a million years did I think that I would land my very first major role in a Michael Jackson movie. He set the standard for entertainment, and the bar was set high when I got the role. It’s an amazing first introduction, and I’m blessed to be a part of it.
Marlon Jackson is a real person with a real family watching this film. How do you handle that kind of pressure?
It’s a lot of pressure. Not only is Marlon Jackson a real-life person, the fans are still very much present. They want it done right. The Jackson family legacy is very important to the world. They have fans globally. So it was lots of pressure, because I went into this knowing that I could only give it 110% and nothing less than that. But as an actor and as a performer, I just had to rise to the occasion and really do it justice.
You actually got to work with Marlon Jackson himself to prepare. What was that like?
He came and visited us, and was really hands-on as far as getting that insight on what things were like backstage. What were the real moments like between the brothers? What was it like feeding off of each other’s energy? Because that’s something that we would need to know. We’re playing brothers, we have to really convince the world that we’ve known each other all our lives. Him being open was so important, and we were very grateful that he gave us so much knowledge.
What was your favorite part to shoot?
The Victory Tour scenes. Those were definitely the fun part. Marlon actually came in and tweaked some of the choreography, the way that he would do it, and that was something that I was glad he came and did. That was actually all of our first days as the brothers shooting. Our first day was Victory Tour, 500 extras. It was a concert reenactment scene. In that moment, everything felt surreal, and it felt like, wow, this is what dreams are about.
A whole new generation is going to discover this story through this film. What do you hope they take away from it?
What I hope that they take from this is that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to. Obviously we know that Michael was larger than life, and he became who he wanted to become, but it wasn’t an overnight success for him. He started working at the young age of 5 years old, and had doors closed on him. Was told that he would never sell the biggest selling album of all time, and he really achieved that through hard work and perseverance. I want people to know that you have to put in the work to become what you want to do. You can do it.
Who is Tre’ beyond this film?
I’m someone that really loves to learn and try new things. I always feel like I can succeed at anything I put my mind to. If it’s something I’ve never done, I’m eager to do it. If I wake up one day and say I want to be a basketball player, I’m gonna do that. If I want to be a ballerina, I’m gonna study. Outside of this movie, I’m an entertainer, I love music. I love impacting people with art, and I just hope that people see that, and that they continue along with my journey.
Where can people find you and keep up with what’s next?
You guys can follow me on Instagram @trekriss. I use that name as my artist name, for music purposes. Once you type in Tre’ Horton on Instagram, it pops up as well. Tre’ Horton is more of the actor side of me. Kind of like Childish Gambino, Donald Glover, the same person.