If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, one of the essential voices of the era was the explosive voice of the legendary actor James Conte Jones.
It was the iconic voice of the infamous Star Wars father/villain Darth Vader. He played Terence Mann in the classic The Man of Dreams.
He acted in Arriving in America AND The Hunt for Red OctoberHe gave voice to the brave King Mufasa in The Lion KingAnd he let the children in The Sandlot from the biggest trouble they had ever encountered.
One of those children was Hamilton “Ham” Porter, played by actor Patrick Reindeerwho last year recounted his experience with James Earl Jones, who sadly passed away last week.
Renna explained on The Rich Eisen Show that, despite starring in the film, he and his young co-stars didn’t get much screen time with the veteran actor:
“He was there for a day and he had this huge trailer and he’s larger than life and he’s the famous James Earl Jones. We were all blown away and it was so cool. But, we were also supposed to have a scene with him and the director changed it to just have Scotty Smalls and Benny in the scene with him. So, we didn’t even act with him. We were, I think, like, he looked at us and laughed in one scene.”
It made sense for Smalls and Benny to come into the house and listen to Mr. Mertle’s baseball story. They were the ones most in love with the game and had the highest stakes in getting back the baseball Smalls had stolen from his stepfather.
Even though the scene with the other kids was cut, Renna said they still got to interact with him on set behind the scenes. He recalled the following cute story:
“None of us had the courage to talk to him. Marty York walked up to him and said, ‘Sir, I heard you’re James Earl Jones’ or something. He said, ‘Were you Darth Vader in Star Wars?’ And he looked at him and said, ‘No, I’m his father!’ (laughs) That was the only time any of us talked to him. Yeah, that was pretty great.”
What a thrill he gave those kids! James Earl Jones was a gem of a man, and he gave so much to his fans, both in person and behind the screen.
via: CinemaBlend
by Jessica Fisher
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
