James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars and Mufassa in The Lion King has passed away.
I always dreaded the day I would read those words. As did all of us.
Since James Earl Jones’ passing on Monday (as I am writing this), there has been an outpouring of tributes to him from all around the world. From fans who knew him from their favorite movies and shows to actors and filmmakers who worked with him. Mark Hamill, fellow Star Wars veteran who played Luke Skywalker, was one of the first celebrities to pay tribute to the late actor. He tweeted “#RIP Dad”. This is obviously a reference to the fact that (spoiler alert) Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s Father. Yet Hamill’s simple tribute sort of summarized my feelings, and I’m sure many of our feelings. We didn’t just lose an actor who appeared in our favorite movies and shows. It feels like we lost more than that. We lost our Dad.
James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader, but he also voiced Simba’s father Mufassa in Disney's The Lion King. I’ve always found it interesting that James Earl Jones’ most iconic roles are the Father of the main protagonist. Both roles left a huge impact on pop culture, and perfectly illustrated the two types of Fathers in our lives. Ironically, “Vader” is German for “Father”.
As Darth Vader, James Earl Jones plays the worst Father ever. He was absent for his twin children’s’ births. Both of them are separated at birth. His son Luke is sent to live on his home planet Tatooine to live with his aunt and uncle on a moisture farm. His daughter Leia is sent to live with the Kings and Queen of Alderaan, and grows up to be a fearless leader of the Rebellion against the Empire. Who her biological father works for. When Vader meets his daughter, he tortures her, tortures her boyfriend, and stands by as her home planet is blown up by his bosses, along with everyone she knew and loved. He doesn’t meet his Son until he’s a young man. And when they do meet, Vader’s sick idea of playing catch with his son is a dangerous Lightsaber fight that ends with him cutting his own son’s hand off. And then he tells his son to come work in his career under his boss so they could both team up to overthrow him and take over the galaxy together. Darth Vader is not only a bad father, he’s the greatest villain in cinema history. If he’s not the greatest, he’s definitely the most iconic. Which makes it all the more powerful and emotional that at the end of the Saga, he is redeemed by the love his son has for him. Despite everything Vader did to him, Luke saw the good in him. He believed in it so much he was willing to die for it. This causes Vader to become Anakin Skywalker once more, and give his life for his son. This may just be the greatest character arc in fiction. At least in my opinion. It’s hard to think of another character who could go from being the personification of evil to a redeemed hero who saves his son from dying and destroys the Empire. A lot of the reason it works is because of James Earl Jones’ performance.
While David Prowse was Darth Vader in the suit, James Earl Jones provided the voice. He wasn’t credited until Return of the Jedi. In the first two movies, James Earl Jones gives Vader this menacing presence. This big, booming voice that strikes fear in his enemies, as well as his subordinates. In the third movie, he’s still menacing, but is now showing cracks. The old him, Anakin Skywalker, is slowly coming back. James Earl Jones captures Vader’s self doubt, denial, inner conflict, sadness, and ultimate contentment as he dies in his son’s arms.
Star Wars is known as a space fantasy with wizards and laser swords and aliens who play musical instruments. But at its core, it’s about a Father and a Son torn apart by conflict, one on the good side the other on the evil side, but who both ultimately find their way back. As Darth Vader. James Earl Jones plays the worst father ever, but also a remorseful one. One who at the end, accepts the hurt he’s caused to his children and everyone around him, but in one final act makes it right.
As Mufassa in The Lion King, James Earl Jones plays the Father we all want. He’s responsible, also playful. He’s strict, but empathetic. He guides you to make the right choices to grow up into the great person he knows you can be, and will set you straight when you drift away. His voice is booming and powerful, but also calming and comforting. When Mufassa yells at Sinba and tells him he is disappointed in him, as a kid it felt like my own Dad was disciplining me. Like Simba, I would freak out when my Dad raised his voice at me when I made a mistake or disobeyed him. As Simba shows his dad he is sorry through his voice cracking, Mufassa’s tone calms down. He tells Simba that he’s only mad because he loves him, and did not want to lose him. He and Simba share a sweet moment where they play with each other. Simba asks his Dad if they’ll always be together. Instead of telling Simba “Well, I’m gonna die someday.”, Mufassa tells him to look up at the stars. That the great Kings of the Past look down from those stars. And that they’ll always be there to guide him, and so will he. He subtly gets across to Simba that his existence is temporary. But he’ll always be there in the stars. Mufassa’s connection with Simba reminded me of the connection I have with my Dad. That he’s always there for me and loves me.
Mufassa’s death in the next scene is one of the biggest gut punches in Disney history. As a kid, it always made me cry because it felt like my own Dad died. Ever since then, I’ve dreaded the day I’ll lose him. My Dad’s dad, my Grandpa, passed away four years ago. My Dad still misses him. And so do I.
You may have noticed something interesting about Darth Vader and Mufassa. They have a few things in common: They’re voiced by James Earl Jones, they’re the Father of the main character, and they both die in the end. And they both teach us about dealing with mortality. The fact that none of us are meant to live here forever. Eventually, everyone we love is going to die. Including our Father. But they still live in us. In our hearts. And in our memories we have of them. The good memories and the bad memories. The memories we wish we could forget or do over, and the memories we want to relive forever. The way we remember people, especially our parents, is how they behaved. If they were loving and caring, we miss them dearly. If they were flawed people who made terrible mistakes but ultimately made amends with you in their final moments, we miss them dearly but also mourn what relationship we wish we could have.
No matter what type of relationship we had with them or what they did, if our love for them is strong enough, then they will never truly leave us. As Anakin’s own son said to his sister, “No one’s ever really gone.”
Of course, I never knew James Earl Jones. I never met him. The only way I know him is through his work. Both as an actor and as a public figure. All I’ve ever heard about James Earl Jones from people who worked with him was how kind he was, and how humble he was. He had this booming voice, this commanding presence, and yet had this gentle demeanor and joyful personality. He could intimidate you with a commanding tone, and also touch your heart with a sincere speech and a little chuckle. He could be your boss who you would either hate or respect but would do what they say, or a friend who believes in you and encourages you to follow your dreams. These are all characters James Earl Jones played. By all accounts, he was more like his sweeter characters as opposed to his more villainous roles like Darth Vader. He was once named “Hollywood’s Most Trustworthy Actor”. He demonstrated this in his work. No matter what role he played or what movie he was in, he elevated it with his presence and his voice. When he guest starred in a sitcom, he was always the highlight. He was a welcome presence in everything he appeared in.
James Earl Jones may be gone. But through his work, through the films and shows that will always be available to watch, and through the lives of those he touched, he will always be with us. In the Force, in stars with the great Kings of the Past, in the Fields where Dreams come true, and in all of us.
He lives in you.
Rest in Power, James Earl Jones. May the Force be with you always. Long live the King.
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