KeiLyn Durrel Jones Details Deeper Bond Between Michael Jackson & His Bodyguard

When it came to Michael Jackson, there was always one person by his side. In addition to his famous family and manager father, and all his wild animal pets, a mainstay for Jackson was his bodyguard, Billy Bray, whose presence was both felt and seen on screen throughout the Michael biopic.

While Bray initially signed on to protect the Jackson 5, he eventually shifted to becoming Michael’s bodyguard and was there to protect the singer against just about everything, from overzealous fans to moments where his stern father overstepped. But the bond they formed over the years was much deeper than just a bodyguard-celebrity relationship. Bray largely functioned as a “safe haven” for Jackson, serving as a father figure in moments when the “King of Pop” felt like he couldn’t turn to his own father for the advice and comfort he was seeking.

ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley spoke to KeiLyn Durrel Jones, who played Bray, ahead of Michael’s premiere, about the deeper meaning behind the relationship Bray formed with the late pop star.

KeiLyn Durrel Jones: The script sort of morphed and grew and evolved as these things sort of do once you get on set and once everyone sort of jives with each other. But even upon first reading, Bill was sort of always there, not saying a whole lot, not necessarily doing a whole lot, but always sort of watching and protecting and guiding. And even when we meet him, Joe says to him, “Guard him with your life.” But you’re right, both in the movie and factually, when Bill Bray signed on, he was the Jackson Five sort of head of security, but he and Michael quickly forged this rapport, this bond, and he sort of took on the mantle of being Michael’s protector. And it just sort of happened naturally, I believe, in life, but also on set. I’m not a father myself. I am an uncle, though, and I have a lot of people in my life that I care for.

I have a father and many uncles and things like that. So that energy is very prevalent in my life. And so we just sort of tried to lean into that. And I can imagine Bill Bray being proud of this man when he’s working, like this boy into a man when he’s working, when he’s singing, when he’s dancing, but also wanting to be there, be a safe haven, a protective for him, especially when he’s not working, offstage.

How Jones’ Late Casting Shaped The Film’s Key Relationship

© Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection

Jones was cast later in the filming process, after director Antoine Fuqua, had already built up a stacked roster for the biopic. And while there’s some pressure coming onto an already-formed cast that has started filming for a project as epic as Michael, Jones told ScreenRant it was a “dream come true.”

KeiLyn Durrel Jones: A dream come true. Hands down, one of my favorite directors, one of the best directors. Antoine’s a very gruff, soft-spoken kind of director. He knows what he wants, he knows the vision, but he’ll also let you play. And once we got into the full swing of things, he trusted me a little more to let Jaafar and I sort of play and grow. And he and Graham [King] both wanted to highlight the bond that Michael and Bill had. Bill was sort of a confidant and a safe space, a sort of pseudo-father figure, an uncular figure for Michael to just be. He didn’t have to be an entertainer. He didn’t have to be a brother, a son, a cash cow, or any of these things; he could just sort of be. And we just wanted to really lean into that and highlight that.

The late casting didn’t impact their bond either, with Jones sharing that he and Michael’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who plays the music icon in the film, dove in “head first” in getting to know each other and creating a believable rapport both on and off-screen that could feel palpable to audiences.

KeiLyn Durrel Jones: Fortunately for all parties involved, Jaafar is just a really incredible human being — obviously, the work that he did that he put into embodying and capturing his uncle’s essence was incredible — but even between takes and off-screen, he and I just sort of built a rapport. Bill and Michael were famous for playing pranks on each other and being jokesters. And Jaafar and I, naturally, it wasn’t like intentional, “We have to do this bond,” sort of thing. We just got to know each other and had fun doing it.

There were times when there was a lot of sneaking up behind each other, or like the thing where you bang the back of someone’s knee, and they sort of give out a little bit, or like grass on the ear. There were a lot of sneaky selfies on each other’s cell phones and things like that.

Jones Hints At Possibility Of Michael Sequel

Glen Wilson/©Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection

While it’s been reported that Fuqua had more than four and a half hours of usable footage after filming Michael, signaling the very real possibility of a sequel that details the singer’s life beyond his 1988 Bad World Tour performance at Wembley Stadium, a second film hasn’t yet been confirmed. The film’s opening weekend success, however, could help push that along, with Jones telling ScreenRant he’d be a “fool” not to sign on to play Bray should a sequel get the green light.

KeiLyn Durrel Jones: I mean, one can hope. I’m sure the filmmakers have a vision for … There’s a lot of story to tell. I mean, we’d be hard-pressed to put my story or your story into two hours, let alone an icon like Michael Jackson. And unfortunately, I never saw the original cuts, the original scenes that were rearranged or whatever else, but I’m sure the filmmakers have their vision of a continuous story. And I’m just happy to see if, how, and when that happens.

I’d be a fool not to [sign on], you know what I mean? Just to be a part of this legacy and have mine inextricably tied to that, but also just to continue to work with the likes of Jaafar, Graham, whoever else. So yeah, that would be exciting as hell.

Check out more of our Michael coverage here:

Release Date

April 24, 2026

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

Antoine Fuqua

Writers

John Logan

Producers

Graham King, John Branca, John McClain