Did you know that Brett Ratner and Michael Jackson were good buddies? They never worked together, exactly, but they became close following a business matter involving the making ofRush Hour. Ratner needed to get the King of Pop’s approval on a moment in the comedy where Chris Tucker does one of Jackson’s signature moves. “We both had this huge, almost childlike fascination with movies and music and all kinds of entertainment,” Ratner said of their bond after Jackon’s death — their joint-favorite classic: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
In 2002, Ratner was directing Red Dragon, his adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel, and he invited Jackson to the set. Everyone was excited, as you can see in part of the behind-the-scenes documentary A Director’s Journey: The Making of ‘Red Dragon’, which is on the Red Dragon DVD. And best among them was Ralph Fiennes, who acknowledged the music icon’s presence in character as serial killer Francis Dolarhyde, aka “the Tooth Fairy,” while filming a scene with Emily Watson. Watch the excerpt of Jackson’s visit below.
And here’s Jackson and Ratner, dancing in a car while listening to R. Kelly, because why not?
Jackson (and/or his chimp Bubbles) was apparently invited to a number of movie sets over the years just as randomly, without having any involvement with the productions. Here are some more videos and images of or about the singer visiting the sets of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and The Goonies:
Source: Movies.com
