15 Pop Culture Facts from 'Michael' And Other Musician Biopic Movies
In early November, 2025, a trailer for the Michael Jackson biopic Michael set a record for the most-viewed music biopic trailer with over 116 million views in only 24 hours. Whose job at Billboard is it to keep track of all-time records like that? It is an impressive number, but does “most-viewed music biopic trailer” get an award or something?
Hopefully we can one-day say that this pre-list blurb is the most-viewed pre-list blurb for a list of behind-the-scenes facts about music biopics. Whaddya say, readers? Want to help us reach that goal by reading this blurb to the final word? If you’re still here, we appreciate you so very much. As a thank you, here are 15 of those aforementioned behind-the-scenes facts about music biopics.
Michael
Glen Wilson/Lionsgate
Set for release on April 24, 2026, the Michael Jackson biopic is directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan, and stars Michael's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as adult Michael.
Walk The Line
Shutterstock
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon performed all the songs themselves, but Phoenix admitted that he wasn't certain he could do it until one week before shooting. It wasn't until one live show in Memphis that he believed he could do it.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Shutterstock
For the climactic Live Aid scene, they shot performances of “We Will Rock You” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” but both songs didn’t make the final cut.
Straight Outta Compton
Shutterstock
Ice Cube's son O'Shea Jackson Jr. didn't get to play Ice Cube just because of his lineage. He auditioned multiple times over two years and worked with multiple acting coaches.
Elvis
Shutterstock
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rufus Sewell were originally cast to play Gladys and Vernon Presley, but production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After scheduling conflicts arose, Helen Thomson and Richard Roxburgh stepped into those roles.
Rocketman
Paramount pictures
Taron Egerton felt a ton of pressure but received some words of advice from Elton John himself. He encouraged Egerton to portray him the way Egerton saw him, saying, “Don't think you have to sing it exactly the way that I sang it… I think it's a challenge for the actor to embody the spirit and not get into thinking they have to do an impersonation.”
I’m Not There
Endgame Entertainment
The film immediately tried to differentiate itself from other biopics by refusing to mention Bob Dylan by name. Cate Blanchett actually plays “Jude Quinn,” and won a Golden Globe for it.
8 Mile
Shutterstock
Seth Rogen and Jason Segal both auditioned for the role of Eminem’s friend, Cheddar Bob. Rogen asked Segal to help him rehearse and found out that Segal was auditioning for the part as well. Neither got it, as Evan Jones ended up playing Cheddar Bob.
Selena
Warner Bros.
Before she was a well-known celebrity, J.Lo was one of seven actresses who were selected to screen test out of the thousands who auditioned in a wide casting call.
Coal Miner’s Daughter
Universal Pictures
Loretta Lynn handpicked Sissy Spacek to play her. She had a gut feeling that Spacek could pull off the role, even though the studio had a list of other actors. Spacek admitted that she almost turned down the role, but Lynn changed her mind.
Ray
Universal Pictures
Jamie Foxx actually sealed his eyes shut with a silicone prosthetic for up to 14 hours a day. He reportedly suffered panic attacks from “feeling like his eyes were in coffins.” The sacrifice helped snag him an Oscar.
The Doors
Lionsgate
Val Kilmer made a tape and challenged members of the Doors to see if they could tell the difference between him and Jim Morrison. According to Kilmer, they couldn’t. He worked with Doors producer Paul Rothschild and appeared to be so uncannily like Morrison that Rothschild begged him to stop, because he found it too unsettling.
Sid & Nancy
YouTube
Gary Oldman lived on a diet of steamed fish and melon to lose enough weight to play the emaciated, heroin-addicted Sid. He was actually hospitalized for going too far and becoming malnourished.
Get on Up
Universal Pictures
During preparation, Chadwick Boseman said that James Brown came to him in a dream. He stated, “In a dream, James Brown said, ‘You’re gonna be good, but you ain’t gonna be as good as me.’”
Bob Marley: One Love
Paramount Pictures
Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir said that he has one regret after playing Bob Marley. The song “Lively Up Yourself,” was cut from the film for pacing reasons, and he said, “I spent more time on that than anything.” Ziggy Marley told fans to look for it in the outtakes.