Thank You, James

Reports have begun coming in that James Earl Jones has sadly passed away at 93 years of age. It’d be an understatement to say I’m devastated at the news. James Earl Jones was my all-time favorite celebrity. I wanted to meet him more than anything.

Most people and news outlets point out that James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader, and he did a phenomenal job, as he did with every role he played. However, the role James played that impacted me the most was Mufasa. Hearing James as Mufasa’s voice is what got me interested in voice acting. I never pursued it, but I always dreamed of taking over as the voice of Mufasa once James stepped down for good.

Even in live-action, James bodied every single role he played. King Joffe Joffer in Coming to America and Coming 2 America, Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot and The Sandlot 2, James commanded respect on screen. Even guest starring as himself was fun to see. Seeing Sheldon fanboy on The Big Bang Theory and James accepting it and having a night on the town with him made me dream of meeting James Earl Jones even more.

People always mentioned Morgan Freeman’s amazing voice and smooth narrating skills, but I would always state that James Earl Jones was #1. And that will forever be a fact for me, even after his death. There have been articles calling him a smooth baritone, but as a choir kid, James was a bass all day long. In my eyes, his voice is the most iconic, and I will always be one of his biggest fans.

Another one of my favorite things about James Earl Jones was his love for the projects and franchises he performed in. James would reprise many of his prior roles years after he initially played the role. Hearing James return to voice Mufasa in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar in 2015 was breathtaking. It was like he didn’t take a day off from the role. I never got into Star Wars, so I can only speak to him coming back to play Mufasa, but I know Star Wars fans love his portrayal of Darth Vader.

Many people don’t know that James Earl Jones was also a big theater guy. In one of his shows, Fences, there’s a scene where he completely dominates the stage. And watching him perform in Of Mice and Men was spectacular, which is funny because I didn’t even get through the book in high school. I’m going to miss it all.

Seeing Mufasa die in The Lion King was the first time a film has moved me to tears. And that’s primarily due to James’s performance. How he and Simba interacted reminded me so much of my father and myself. But James’s passing in real life, I never imagined would hit this hard. I knew it was coming, but even as a celebrity, it hurts.

This post honors James Earl Jones and shares my love for him as an actor. James will go down in history as one of the best actors, period, and I’m proud to have grown up seeing him act in many of the shows and movies I watched. James, I hope you’re up there laughing and carrying on without a care. You will never be forgotten, and I want to say one last time—thank you, James.