Michael Jackson helped teach Jennifer Love Hewitt the importance of doing good deeds for others

Image: LA Gear

Jennifer Love Hewitt got her start as many a kid actor do in Hollywood — by booking commercials with big brands. One of these included a shoot for LA Gear with the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. At the time, Hewitt recalled that she didn’t really know who she would we working with.

"I was 10 years old. I got to spend the day with [Michael Jackson] doing an LA Gear commercial… They just told me I was going to shoot a commercial for the day with 'Michael.' I was like, 'Okay, cool a fun little kid named Michael. That’ll be great,'" said Hewitt in her 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel. "I got there and everyone was super serious, everyone was hush-hush, there were protocols… And then it was Michael Jackson!"

Jackson was on set shooting the ads for his signature LA Gear line, a matte black sneaker covered in signature '80s buckles, straps and zippers. Jackson made the experience one that now-grown Hewitt treasures deeply. He had even brought his famous chimp Bubbles along for the shoot, giving Hewitt the chance to hi-five the well-known pet.

In the interview, Hewitt described what a great day she had working alongside Jackson. "We spent the whole day together. We were dancing together… he taught me how to do his up-on-the-toes move."

"At the end of the day, I had to go to a charity function which means the shoot had to end at an odd time."

Seeing that Hewitt wasn’t so keen to leave, Jackson offered her some words of wisdom that Hewitt still carries with her. "[Jackson] stopped [me] and said, 'You don’t know how important it is that you’re doing something special and important for other people. Never lose that, always be that person.' I was like, 'Okay, yes sir!'"

To top the whole occasion off, Jackson practiced what he preached and made sure Hewitt would never forget the importance of doing good for others.

"He gave a very big donation to this charity function and sent the check in my name, on my behalf, which is not something that I would have been able to do at the time. He sent it to just kind of button how important it is to give to other people," she said. "I just thought that was extraordinary because like… He’s Michael Jackson! He didn’t have to do that!"