Juliano Krue Valdi is proud of the way he made the Jackson family feel.
After all, the 12-year-old encountered various members of Michael Jackson's legendary family on the set of the biopic Michael, where he played a younger version of the late King of Pop.
"I knew that when they thought so highly about me, they were really confident in me," Juliano told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I had a big responsibility. I had to take care of that—like taking care of a baby, basically, being so gentle with it."
And while the actor had fun performing as Michael—Jaafar Jackson plays the "Thriller" singer's adult counterpart—he admitted, "It was a lot of pressure. I had to make everyone proud because they thought that I could play Michael Jackson."
But Juliano wasn't just concerned about the Jacksons seeing the movie's final product. Indeed, Michael's mom Katherine Jackson, sister La Toya Jackson and brother Marlon Jackson would periodically visit the set to see the cast in action.
"I remember the first day I saw the Jackson family," he continued. "I remember seeing Katherine, and when I saw her I wanted to make her proud. So, I just brought Michael's energy to the screen as close as I can."
After embodying the Jackson 5 alum during his early days in music, Juliano hopes viewers walk away with a new perspective of Michael.
"I hope that they can understand who Michael was on a deeper level," he said of the movie, which is in theaters now. "They can understand who he was when he wasn't on stage, who he was as a person. And I also want them to feel groovy in that Michael Jackson mode."
Meanwhile, Juliano's counterpart Jaafar—Michael's real-life nephew—recently detailed what it meant to have the Jackson family in his corner.
"To have my cousins there and my other family members, that meant everything," the 29-year-old told E! News at the movie's April 20 premiere. "Because it is a family story, and it all started in Gary, Indiana, so it meant the world to me."