Paris Jackson Oprah Winfrey - H 2012
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The way Michael Jackson raised his children came under public scrutiny during his life, including his decision to often have them wear masks when they appeared in public with him.
Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of the late pop icon, said she didn’t understand it at the time, but now sees why the masks were necessary.
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“I understand it now,” she told Oprah Winfrey. “When we went out without him, we wouldn’t be recognized and we could have a normal childhood.”
In the interview, set to air Sunday on OWN’s Oprah’s Next Chapter, Paris said they only wore the masks when they were out with her father, because it was impossible to be anonymous at his side.
“He told us when he was younger he didn’t really have a childhood,” Paris said. “He would always be stuck in the studio while other kids were playing. He wanted us to have that.”
She added that Toys “R” US and Chuck E Cheese’s were her favorite childhood places to go.
PHOTOS: 30 Years of MTV Videos With Michael Jackson, David Bowie
Paris, who has embarked on an acting career, has previously said her grandmother Katherine Jackson wanted her to wait until she was 18 to enter show business. But she found inspiration from her father’s acting.
“My Dad was in the movie Moonwalker and I knew he could sing really well but I didn’t know he could act,” she told Ellen DeGeneres late last year. “I saw that and I said, wow, I want to be just like him.”
Watch the video below.
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