For three decades, Nia Long has captivated the world with her timeless beauty and acting prowess. However, her latest feature in Playboy serves as a sophisticated preamble to her most high-stakes performance yet. In ten days, Long takes on the role of Jackson family matriarch, Katherine Jackson, and ahead of the film’s official release, Playboy chatted with the actress for their spring issue, which hits newsstands today.

Here are some excerpts from her interview, which you can pre-order here.

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Long on Playing Katherine Jackson

We had tough days, and we had easy days, like any other movie set, but I think the common thread in all of this is everyone involved really loves and adores Michael Jackson, and we wanted to get it right, and although the film went through some changes, the version everyone will see is really, really spectacular and entertaining, and I think Michael would be happy.

Long on Any Scrutiny She Faced For Accepting Her Role in ‘MICHAEL’

No one can interfere with my sanity. That’s number one. I learned a long time ago that you cannot be successful in this industry if you listen to the noise and the distractions.

Thank you @Playboy for capturing this moment of joy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pycobip1su

— Nia Long (@NiaLong) April 13, 2026

Long on the Cultural Legacy of ‘Love Jones’

When Love Jones came out, it was considered a box office flop. We didn’t make a lot of money, but what we created was something cultural and iconic. That is more valuable than anything.

Long on the Upcoming Romantic Drama With Her and Larenz Tate

It’s sort of an extension of where Nina and Darius [from Love Jones] could be today, but it’s a completely different film, there’s a lot more comedy, we’re parents now, we literally just wrapped a couple of weeks ago, I love Larenz, that’s my guy, forever and ever and ever

Featured Image: Lionsgate

MICHAEL hits theaters on April 24.

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Author Bio

Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.