Joseph Fiennes: I was shocked to be cast as Michael Jackson – but he was probably closer to my colour than his original colour

Joseph Fiennes has admitted that he was as ‘shocked’ as anyone to be cast as Michael Jackson in a forthcoming TV film.

The British actor, whose casting sparked a Twitter backlash on Wednesday, said that the pop star’s ‘pigmentation issue’ meant that his skin colour wasn’t too dissimilar to his own.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Fiennes said: “I'm a white, middle-class guy from London. I’m as shocked as you.”

The Shakespeare in Love actor, who will play The King of Pop in a 9/11 road trip drama for Sky Arts, added:

“[Jackson] definitely had an issue - a pigmentation issue - and that's something I do believe.

“He was probably closer to my colour than his original colour.”

Discussing the project, which co-stars Stockard Channing as Elizabeth Taylor and Brian Box as Marlon Brando, Fiennes said:

“It's kind of off the wall, but the writing is a delight, and the kind of interaction between the three of them is funny, and also full of pathos.

“It's people who are so iconic, but also can be detached. You know, you can get detached from society. So it's examining that kind of wonderful and mad detachment."

Defending the film, which has already received a lot of criticism, Fiennes insisted that it was ‘light-hearted’ and in no way ‘malicious’.