'I've learnt that life is precious': Janet Jackson on the death of her brother Michael

'Every family has their issues, and my family is a lot closer than many people think,' says Janet

She’s battled through body hang-ups, two divorces and the death of her beloved brother Michael – but, Janet Jackson tells Daphne Lockyer, she’s finally found a ‘better space
Janet Jackson is sporting a radical new hairstyle. Short and sharp, it’s teamed today with a tailored beige jacket – all brass buttons and little-drummer-girl epaulettes. On a less feminine woman, the look would be almost butch. But Janet, 44, offsets it with big kohl-lined Bambi eyes, a little upturned nose and frosted sugar-pink lips.
‘People have been surprised by my haircut,’ she says. ‘But it’s not the first time I’ve had it this short. The last time was in 1995 when Michael and I were at the MTV awards. We’d won Best Dance Video for our work on the song “Scream”.’
Ah, Michael Jackson…the big brother who was possibly the most famous person on the planet until his mysterious and shocking death in June last year. But in fairness, Janet has sold millions of records worldwide in her own right, garnered Grammys galore and seen many of her albums go multi-platinum. Plus, of course, she has a burgeoning career as an actress, the reason for our interview today.
And while the new haircut has not attracted quite as much attention as 2004’s ‘Nipplegate’ (the ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that led to an exposed breast during a Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake), it’s been featured everywhere in the press during her stay in London to promote her new film, Why Did I Get Married Too? ‘I don’t know what the fuss is about,’ she says – apparently forgetting that ‘fuss’ has surrounded every aspect of the Jackson clan’s lives for as long as anyone can remember.
Not that mention of the clan – and specifically, Michael – is on the cards today. I’ve been told in advance that there’ll be no talk of ‘Michael’s passing’ or the family in which Janet grew up, and Janet’s manager is in the room to keep the conversation on message. But Michael’s ghost is ever present in the suite at London’s Dorchester where we meet. After all, his is the hotel he favoured when in London (apparently throwing an ice-cream-and-jelly party here in 2005, dressed as Mickey Mouse while his children Prince Michael, Paris and ‘Blanket’ were Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook).

Janet (front centre) with some of the Jackson clan in 1974

With the family at a memorial event for Michael in July 2009
Besides, the movie and the Michael topic aren’t exactly unrelated: Janet was just three days into filming when she learned of his death. Work on the movie, a sequel that picks up the story of four couples who’ve been friends for years and are now each experiencing marital problems, was halted so Janet could attend the funeral. When she returned to the role of Patricia, a psychologist and self-help guru whose seemingly perfect marriage is on the rocks, she turned in an emotionally raw performance that staggered her co-stars, including Tyler Perry, also the film’s writer and director. In one scene, she smashes up the marital home with a golf club, tears coursing down her face.
‘Some scenes really gave me the chance to release the emotions I was going through. It was very draining, but it helped me to get through,’ she has admitted. She adds, ‘For a scene like that you leave your vanity at the door and that wasn’t a problem for me, even though it might not be how people view me. I was ready to show that vulnerability.’
Janet was blessed, she says, by the support of an ensemble cast, including Jill Scott, Sharon Leal, Tasha Smith and Malik Yoba (who plays her husband, Gavin), who had already forged strong friendships during the making of the original 2007 movie Why Did I Get Married? ‘We really bonded on that set,’ says Janet. ‘And even after filming we stayed in touch. When Tyler told us he’d written the sequel we were genuinely excited to be working together again. It really felt like family.’
And they were all intrigued to learn where the sequel would take their characters. ‘At the end of the last film you can see some small flaws appearing in Patricia’s marriage,’ says Janet. ‘But this time we see the relationship going into meltdown.
‘I think maybe it helped that I’ve been through the pain of divorce myself twice,’ she admits. Her first marriage, to her childhood sweetheart, American soul singer James DeBarge, lasted only a few months and was annulled in 1985. Her second, to songwriter Rene Elizondo, lasted eight years but ended in divorce in 2000. ‘You use the experiences that you have to help you play the roles.