Halle Bailey has heavily leaned into her acting bag in recent years, first with “grown’ish,” then the live-action version of “The Little Mermaid” and the rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany.” However, one Academy Award winner believes she could take on one of the biggest roles of a lifetime—Miss Janet Jackson.
In a resurfaced clip from her appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” last year, Bailey opened up about whether or not she had a preference when it came to singing versus acting and Hudson could empathize, considering that she broke through initially as a singer via “American Idol” before her historic performance in “Dreamgirls.”
“It’s so hard because when you sing your whole life, it’s what you love,” Bailey said. “It’s in your blood, that’s what you love. That’s your first love. But now movies also are becoming like a new form of passion for me. And it’s a really beautiful art form, too, making films. So, I think right now we’re kind of split.”
However, Hudson couldn’t let one specific topic go unaddressed. After admitting she couldn’t unsee the resemblance between Bailey and Jackson, the Chicago native had to ask Bailey if she would ever take on the role of Janet. Given the recent success of the “Michael” biopic, it only made sense for the team behind Hudson’s show to bring the idea of a “Janet” biopic back to the forefront.
“She favors a young Janet!” Hudson exclaimed.
Bailey smiled hard before playing it cool. “Oh my goodness. That would be cool, that would be really cool.”
The resemblance between Bailey and Janet has prompted many fans to point out that the young actress could have been cast in “Michael” had the role of Janet Jackson been included.
“Not gonna lie, Halle Bailey would’ve absolutely eaten a young Janet Jackson role in the Michael movie,” one Twitter user wrote weeks after the movie premiered in theaters.
It wouldn’t be the first time Halle embodied the role of one of music’s biggest icons. In 2023, she dressed up as “Poetic Justice”- era Janet for a Halloween photoshoot with her ex-boyfriend. Even if Janet isn’t included in the rumored “Michael” sequel, fans have long held the belief that the role of Janet belongs to Bailey and Bailey alone.
