Prince Jackson is finally opening up.
In a rare interview with the Los Angeles Times, the 19-year-old spoke about what it was like having Michael Jackson as a father
The aspiring filmmaker explained that he didn't initially realize his childhood was extraordinary, saying:
"I don't think I ever thought about if other kids lived like that when I was younger. But once I knew who he was, I realized it wasn't normal."
He recalled the moment he actually grasped the concept of his father's fame, adding:
"I remember being in Disneyland and I went to the window and there were all these fans waving and taking pictures of me. I thought it was normal, so I just waved back. It wasn't until I saw a video of him performing and people were fainting and passing out, when I realized the work he did meant a lot to people."
The celebrity's son also revealed the late legend's reason for putting his young kids in masks, explaining:
"My dad spoke to me like an adult. He told us the reason for the masks was he wanted us to have our own life without him."
In fact, MJ even offered up adult advice for first-born, telling him to "trust no one." The teen completely understood why his famous father would provide him with such paranoid words of wisdom:
"It sounds bad, but … a lot of people are motivated by themselves. He said don't trust someone just because it sounds like a good idea — do your research. There are a lot of people who want to interact with [me and my siblings] just because of who we are."
And, Prince defended his dad's memory from those child sex abuse allegations, calling them extortion attempts. He also recalled when he first faced the scandals — at the young age of 12 — after Michael's sudden passing:
"After he died, we got bombarded with [everything]. It was a shock. It all came at once. But [we] learned how to deal with it by just kind of ignoring it."
He admitted that he still misses his father every day:
"I don't think it's anything you ever get over. It's always going to be a part of your life that's missing."
But, he revealed how he deals with the pain:
"The way I cope with it is incorporating him into my life in every way — from my company logo having little bits of him [to] using his metaphors and trying to follow everything he taught us. My brother and my sister, we've all coped differently. I've gotten better the older I get."
Prince also dished that he's following in his father's footsteps in a not-so-literal way, explaining that he's pursuing production rather than performance:
"Everyone thinks I'm going to do music and dance. Music is a big part of my life. It shaped who I am because of my family, but I've always wanted to go into production. My dad would ask me what I wanted to do and my answer was always producing and directing."
On realizing he wanted to be a director/producer by watching his dad shoot videos:
"That's when I knew it was what I wanted to do. I loved the thrill of it. I was able to talk to so many people on set — those doing the lighting or the assistant cameramen. I learned so much."
On amazing photos depicting MJ's level of fame:
"To me, these are family photos. It's like, 'Oh, that's a picture of my dad and my godmother [Elizabeth Taylor].' I think people appreciate it a lot more than I do. To me, these are family photos."
On living at Michael's Hayvenhurst estate after his death:
"It was beneficial. There was 16 people here. It took you away from the grief. We'd wake up in the middle of the night, make quesadillas and talk."
On his relationship with his mother:
"I'm very lucky to have two mother figures in my life, my grandmother and my cousin Frances. As for my birth mother, she's always been more of a friend, and that works for us. You could say my whole life has been unconventional. I really love that though, and it's all I've ever known."
We're glad Prince is finally opening up!
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