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 Michael Jackson and Kenny Ortega on the set of the singer’s rehearsals for his London concerts. Ortega directed the documentary, This Is It, off the rehearsals |
Kenny Ortega thought he might be too emotional when he was asked to direct the Michael Jackson documentary-concert hybrid film This Is It, which opens in theatres tomorrow for a limited two-week run.
But, ultimately, he couldn’t turn down the chance to put together a movie about the months of rehearsals he was involved with at L.A.’s Staples Centre. He was director of Jackson’s planned comeback tour of 50 concerts in London, which, of course, abruptly came to a halt after The Gloved One’s untimely death June 25.
“Looking at the footage and seeing myself in there, conceptualizing and creatively jousting with Michael, how could I turn this over to someone else that wasn’t there, that didn’t know? That wouldn’t be right. That wouldn’t be fair,” Ortega, 59, said during a weekend interview in Toronto to promote This Is It.
“I thought, ‘You know what, Kenny? This is your responsibility. You don’t have a choice here. And the movie’s going to get made, with you or without you.’ ”
Ortega, who worked previously with Jackson on his two tours in the ’90s, saw the singer-dancer at the Staples Centre just 14 hours before his death, as did the rest of the rehearsal staff.
Jackson’s death from cardiac arrest was eventually ruled a homicide and his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, is currently under investigation for manslaughter after it was discovered the singer was given several drugs, including the dangerous sedative propofol.
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“I leave all that to time,” said Ortega of the investigation into Jackson’s death. “Michael and his doctor had their own relationship, and it was private and it wasn’t discussed outside. I met the doctor a couple of times and I’m just going to say that he always seemed to be a guy that was bright, lovely, charming and professional, and who was there for the right reasons as best I could tell.”
Despite all the speculation about Jackson’s health leading up to his death, Ortega said the singer was physically ready to do the London shows that were slated to start July 13 and run until March. Jackson had been off the stage for more than a decade.
“There were moments during the process where I had concerns, and we were always encouraging Michael to take care of himself,” Ortega said. “He had a tendency to not sleep and couldn’t turn the creative thing off. And so there were times when he would come into rehearsal and you could tell that he hadn’t slept the night before ... And because of that I would be concerned and I’d say, ‘Michael, I’m encouraging you to, please, do your best to remember that it’s to your benefit, and to all of ours, and to the dream of this project — sleep, rest, eat, take care of yourself.’ ”
Ortega has had little time to properly process Jackson’s death, given that he was immediately asked to direct the live TV memorial on July 7 and then direct This Is It, culled from 120 hours of rehearsal footage.
“It was shattering,” Ortega said of Jackson’s death. “It’s still emotional for me. This is not a remedy. It’s not a pill. It’s not some potion that physically brings Michael back to the planet — we know that. And that is the sadness at the end of this story. However, there is something here (in the film) that is a reminder of what he left us, his legacy.
“I think because it is the last documentation, it’s important that it be shared. And I think what is there is that Michael was happy. He was coming back the next day.”