Rashida Jones Admits Michael Jackson Was ‘An Alien’

One of the more compelling things about Michael Jackson is that those who were closest to him often don’t have a bad thing to say about the troubled king of pop- but the late singer always comes in for a few comments about how eccentric, offbeat or even unsettling he was to those who knew Jackson in person.

Rashida Jones- who we last heard from when she was making out with Zooey Deschanel– knew the pop star via her dad, Quincy Jones. And like many, Rashida doesn’t seem to think anything untoward about Jackson- but she does admit he wasn’t always Joe Average. Jones talked about her family friend in a recent interview, describing his strange antics and likening the musician to an “alien.” She explains:

“Michael basically grew up with us, so I have a million memories of him. We were at each other’s house all the time… He was definitely a little bit of an alien, for sure, and when I was young, it felt as if he was my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit more pep.”

Jones’ experience with Jackson- that she felt on his level and not that he was older or treated her like a child- echoes recent recollections by child star Soleil Moon Frye about the pop king. Jones says eventually the pair would go out together- not on dates, but just for fun:

“Later, we’d go out on the town together. He always wore those surgical masks. Once, my sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis and I got in a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie theater and supersoaked the hell out of people waiting in line. They had no idea they’d just been supersoaked by the King of Pop.”

The full interview with Rashida Jones is available in the upcoming issue of Playboy.