DECEMBER 9, 2022
Entertainment

Michael Jackson's Love Interest in 'Thriller' Music Video Attends 'MJ the Musical' on Halloween

Michael Jackson’s Love Interest in ’Thriller’ Music Video Attends ’MJ the Musical’ on Halloween

Ola Ray, who starred in Michael Jackson’s 1983 music video for "Thriller," posed backstage with MJ The Musical star Myles Frost on Halloween Monday

Halloween was "Thriller" night for Ola Ray!

The actress, former Playboy model and Thrill of It All author — who starred as Michael Jackson’s love interest in the 1983 music video for his Halloween-season hit "Thriller" — took in a performance of MJ the Musical on Monday night in New York City.

Ray, 62, even took time to pose backstage for photos with Myles Frost, who won a Tony Award for his performance as the King of Pop in the Broadway show.

With Frost, 23, dressed in Jackson’s signature red jacket from the "Thriller" video, the two smiled for the camera and even struck a variety of poses inspired by the iconic dance from the spooky video.

In celebration of Halloween, the cast of the show even performed a special "Thriller" encore at curtain call, which the official Instagram account for MJ The Musical posted a clip of following the show.

The musical takes audiences inside Jackson’s creative process, depicting the singer rehearsing for his 1992 Dangerous world tour. It features over 25 of the singer’s biggest hits and is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, with a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage. The Estate of Michael Jackson is a producer.

According to a press release, the musical "goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into legendary status."

Grammy winner Jackson went from child star to chart-topping King of Pop, with hits like "Beat It" and "Billie Jean." He was arrested on charges of child molestation back in 2003, though he was acquitted of those charges in 2005. Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by two people in 2013. A 2019 documentary revisited the allegations.

In an April 2019 interview with The New York Times, Wheeldon, 49, said about writing the musical at the time, "We’re sensitive to what’s going on and we’ll see whether it works into the show or not. But the primary focus of our show has always been focusing on Michael’s creative process." The musical reportedly does not address the scandal.

Ola Ray and Tony Winner Myles Frost as "Michael Jackson" pose backstage at the hit Michael Jackson musical "MJ" on Broadway at The Neil Simon Theater on October 31, 2022 in New York City. Ola Ray played the girlfriend of Michael Jackson in the short film/music video "Thriller"

Michael Jackson Broadway Musical Casts New Lead After Original Actor Drops Out
While Ray is clearly a fan of Jackson given her support for the show, she sued the singer back in 2009, two months before his death. She told Newsweek in a recent interview that while she was awarded $75,000 in back payments by Jackson’s estate in 2012, she estimates she is owed more than $4 million in royalties. (Ray has only received $200,000 thus far, she told the outlet, including an original payment of $2,500 for her work on the video.)

Ray said that her first payment for the 14-minute video, which was directed by John Landis, "didn’t come until 1985," but after that year, "it came like every other year or something and it was nothing compared to the percentage I was owed."

Despite the legal woes and being "sad how they treated me," Ray told Newsweek she has since forgiven Landis, 72, and Jackson — and is "very honored" to be associated with "Thriller."

"Working with Michael and being with him was definitely worth it," she said. "But what happened afterwards. ... that’s a different story."

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