She will forever be immortalized as
Michael Jackson's girlfriend and his 1983 music video epic, Thriller.
From being subjected to his terrifying transformation into a werecat creature
to being surrounded by hordes of undead as MJ is transformed into a zombie himself.
Ola Ray is featured throughout the entire 14 minutes video, the production costing
$500,000, making it the most expensive music video ever produced at the time.
Premiering on MTV on December 2nd, 1983, the song's horror movie inspired music
video was a monster hit and catapulted Ola into a short period of superstardom as
music's most recognizable video girl. Intense public attention
that certainly took its toll on the 23 year old Ola, who eventually spiraled
and as a result, experienced much of the darker sides of fame in Hollywood.
Still recognized by fans today,
Thriller has forever cemented the small town girl into pop culture history.
And despite the morbid video premise,
Ray has fond memories working on the video, in particular,
the very intimate time she spent with her co-star Michael.
Nearly 40 years on, Ray has more recently
shed light on what it really was like working with the King of pop.
From daily pranks on set, to their steamy
romance. What really happened behind the scenes of history's biggest music video?
In Ola Ray's eyes,
her and Michael fell in love.
But were the feelings mutual?
And what put an end to their short lived affair?
Here's the detail.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, young Ola Ray moved frequently as a child
due to her father's military career. With her family relocating to Los Angeles
before settling in Japan by the time she reached her teens.
Much like Michael, Ola came from a large
family with eight other siblings and were often compared to the Jackson family
and the Jackson Five, who were topping the charts at the time.
While in Japan, Ola caught the performing bug and started dancing in clubs and other
night spots all over Japan as part of an organized dance tribe.
At 18, the young performer decided to move
back to the United States to pursue a career in show business.
As part of this mission, her then agent bluntly told her
that at five foot four, she was never going to be a fashion model
and asked her to consider appearing in Playboy magazine in order to get
noticed for other types of work, in modeling or otherwise.
Ola Ray agreed with the advice, sent her photos to Playboy and was soon
asked to test for the magazine. Featuring as a Playmate in June of 1980,
Ola was quickly adopted into the Playboy fold. Getting friendly with the magazine's
publisher, Hugh Hefner, and becoming a regular at the Mansion, whether
at official parties or more casual gatherings with other Playmates.
At the same time, Ola was pursuing other modeling and acting opportunities.
However, she only appeared in a couple
minor movie roles until 1983, when her agent gave her a call to meet
director John Landis for an audition. Unaware what the audition was for,
when she arrived at his office,
Landis sat her down and cryptically began to explain what the project would entail.
Quote he said that he needed a girl to play two different parts, Ray recalled.
Quote One would be a modern day girl, the other would be a girl based
in the 1950s, but we would have the same boyfriend.
We would be sitting in the theater watching ourselves on the big screen.
Then once my boyfriend on screen turned into a werewolf, it would make the modern
day girl afraid and want to leave the theater.
After explaining her role, the director began to play the track
and that was when everything fell into place for Ray.
Quote I just got so excited and I just
looked at him and said, oh my God, is this for Michael's video?
Please choose me.
A huge Michael Jackson fan, Ray told Landis that she was the best girl
for the job and emphatically attempted to convince him to give her the part.
He eventually agreed.
Then, after running his decision by the singer, Ray was cast in the role.
However, the former centerfold model was
concerned that Jackson, a squeaky clean pop star and devout
Jehovah's Witness, would want someone else for the part
after catching wind of her Playboy past.
However, Landis assured her it wasn't a problem.
Quote I think John had seen my issue and that's how he chose me, she chuckled.
She later said that Landis likely showed
the soon to be King of Pop her Playboy issue, which in her printed interview,
she cited Jackson as her favorite music artist.
Quote I believe that's what Michael got the idea for using me.
He saw my pictures in there.
The first time Ola met Michael,
he sent a limousine for her, and when she arrived on set,
she watched backstage while Jackson filmed the video's iconic zombie dance.
Quote I had a front run row seat that night to watch Michael and his dancers,
and he kept telling them, let's do it again, let's do it again.
He was meticulous and a perfectionist.
A huge fan of Michael, Ray described her job working with the artist.
Quote can you imagine Michael Jackson
dancing and singing around me while I do my little Thriller walk?
I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world.
Although Jackson was fully focused on his
artistry during the shoot, although Ray also described his playful
side. Quote Michael made me so comfortable with him, always joking.
We were laughing all the time.
We were having two weeks of fun every day with him.
Describing him as a joker,
Rey said the 25 year old Jackson was always playing pranks behind the scenes.
Quote I had so much fun with Michael.
He was like the funniest person ever.
One such incident involved a bizarre
but hilarious confrontation with one of the makeup artists.
Quote on set I would sit outside my trailer to retouch my makeup and Michael would
come and sit right next to me and he would stare at me the whole time.
One day he just said to me, Ola, can you help me with something?
And I said, sure, Michael.
He said, Well, I have this shine on my nose.
What do you think I should do?
And I reached into my purse and got
my little powder puff and I put a little powder on his nose.
Jackson was amazed and dragged Ray to the makeup artist trailer.
Guess what? Ola helped me get the shine off my nose.
The makeup artist turned around and looked
at me and said, girl, don't you know how many times Michael's had a nose job?
There is no way we're getting the shine off his nose.
While Ray stared at the makeup artist
with her eyes wide, jackson just burst out laughing.
In contrast to Michael Jackson's playful
manner, Ray also revealed that she had the pleasure of witnessing his more
flirtatious side as well, that there was much more romance behind
the scenes than what was captured on screen.
Quote he was always playing with my hair and tickling my feet.
We had something special going on between us while we were shooting and there was
a second kiss behind closed doors, she reminisced.
Quote I kissed him for the first time on set.
I kissed him on the cheek.
Then he asked me to come into his dressing
room one day and I went in there and we sat down and had a conversation and we got
really close and that's when he kissed me the second time.
It was a very passionate kiss and,
you know, we also did a little something else, but that's all I'm going to say.
Ola Ray would then go on to describe how
the notoriously shy star stripped off in front of her, adding,
quote I'll just tell you this much, he undressed in front of me.
Getting intimate with Michael made me feel really, really good.
In a way, it was like a real romance.
Once the video for Thriller premiered on MTV, it became an instant global hit.
After each broadcast, MTV would advertise when they would play
it next and recorded audience figures ten times the channel's norm.
Within months,
the making Michael Jackson's Thriller cassette tape sold a million copies,
triggering a VHS revolution, making it the bestselling video release
at that point.
The music video also doubled, boosted sales of Jackson's Thriller album,
which sold a million copies a week following the video debut and soon after
was named the best selling album of all time.
Swept up in the incredible moment Michael Jackson was experiencing at this
time and the far reaching success of the Thriller video,
Ola Ray instantly became a household name and had high hopes that this recognition
would act as a springboard for her to forge her own career in the spotlight.
In May 1984, on the back of her Thriller success, the video Girl made another
appearance in Playboy and spoke about a couple very special times she spent
with the superstar, saying that the Thriller set was sexually tepid.
Quote but don't make any assumptions out of that about Michael's sexuality.
I've known plenty of homosexuals, but Michael doesn't seem like any of them.
If anything, he just doesn't deal with sex at all.
So after making such a big impression on each other, did the two ever attempt
to rekindle their romance after the filming of Thriller?
Unfortunately, their relationship was short lived after an unnamed friend
of Jackson's also had his eye on Ola Ray, forcing the musician to call things off.
Quote Michael had made this secret arrangement a promise to someone
and that was why we couldn't continue our relationship.
The last time Ola saw Michael was while he
was recording his Bad album at Westlake Studios, where she bumped into him.
Detailing their final meeting, Ray said, quote I went over to say hello to him
and when I walked in, I said, I know who this secret admirer of mine is.
Michael just looked at me and said, Ola, I'm so sorry.
And I said, no, it's okay.
Jackson then invited Ray to join him
and his team for lunch, but she declined, choosing to go back to recording instead.
Quote I wish I had stayed and had lunch
with him because that was the last time that I saw him.
Although a more long standing romance
with Jackson never materialized, Ola Ray did hope that their onscreen
association would benefit her pursuit for stardom.
However, after only appearing in a few other film and TV roles in the 1980s,
including minor parts in Fear City and Beverly Hills Cop 2,
Ola said that the Michael Jackson appearance didn't actually open any new
doors, but may have in fact hampered her prospects, as she was very quickly
typecast the 'Thriller girl'. A label that was placed upon her without
the financial compensation she believed she was entitled to.
Aside from the initial $2500 she was paid for her part in the video,
Ola claims that she signed a contract for 2.5% of the video's profits and was
entitled to a percentage of all future merchandising bearing her image.
However, she didn't receive any royalties for two years after the video release.
We shot the video in 1983 and my first payment didn't come until 1985.
After that, it came like every other year
or something, and it was nothing compared to the percentage I was owed.
She stated that her cut should be around $4.2 million, but claimed she had been
paid less than $200,000 in the years since the video was released.
At first, Ray blamed Michael Jackson
himself for this gross underpayment, resulting in her filing legal action,
along with the video director John Landis, against the King of Pop in May
2009, less than two months before his sudden death on June 25, 2009.
It has been reported that up until June 2010, the video earned $93.7 million
in digital video sales and $78.6 million in DVD sales.
In 2012, the estate of Michael Jackson
settled the lawsuit, awarding Ola Ray's $75,000 in back
payments, 20,000 of which was used to pay her legal team.
Ray has since stated that she has forgiven Jackson, but the situation has tainted
what was once a positive experience for her.
Quote It wasn't at all what Michael had originally written in the contract.
I was just really, really sad how they treated me.
Despite its legal troubles,
Ray is still grateful to have been a part of music history.
Nearly four decades later, she's still recognized by music fans for her role.
Quote I'm just very honored,
working with Michael and being with him was definitely worth it.
But what happened afterwards, that's a different story.
Ola Ray has since written a book on her experiences in the entertainment industry.
'The Thrill of It All' details the dark side of fame, Ray's battles with addiction,
living through domestic violence, her 1992 arrest, the Me Too movement and more.
Quote I talk about what happened with all the producers and directors who wanted
to have sex with me to give me a part in their movie.
I talk about what I had to go through and how survived it.
Thanks for watching the detail.
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