In Memoriam_James Earl Jones: The Voice of Triumph

What It Takes®

Academy of Achievement

Film, Politics, Arts, Self-help, Sports, Society & Culture, Success, Literature, Humanitarian, Military, Social Justice, Technology, Podcast, Achievement, Music, Science

4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2024

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In honor of James Earl Jones, who has died at the age of 93, we bring you this encore episode. James Earl Jones had a voice like no other. It reverberated so deeply that you could feel it in your chest. No one was better suited to give voice to Darth Vader. For 60 years, Jones captivated audiences with that voice and with his commanding presence -- on stage and on screen. In this episode, which originally posted in 2017, he talked about how he overcame a stutter that silenced him for years. He explained how the radicalism of the 1960's changed the world of acting, and opened the door to his success. And he described how growing up on a humble farm taught him to treasure contentment over happiness. The theme music for What It Takes is written and performed by KaraSquare.com. (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2017

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're a director and you need an actor to give voice to the most evil force in the empire,
0:08.0	there's really only one guy you want.
0:10.0	If you only knew the power of the dark side,
0:14.0	only one never told you what happened to your father.
0:19.0	He told me enough.
0:27.0	He told me you killed. No, I am your father. If you want an actor to put the king in the animal kingdom, there's really only one guy.
0:37.0	Look, Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom.
0:42.0	A king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day Simba,
0:50.0	the sun will set on my time here and will rise with you as the new king.
0:56.2	And this will all be mine?
0:58.2	Everything.
0:59.2	If you want an actor to lend authority and gravity to your news and public affairs network,
1:06.7	there's really only one guy.
1:10.0	This is CNN. That guy is CNN.
1:13.7	That guy is James Earl Jones, one of the greatest actors of our time and one of the most recognizable
1:20.7	voices of all time. I realize that you might be perfectly happy to
1:25.8	spend this podcast listening to him read the list of ingredients off a cereal
1:30.9	box, but he happens to also have wonderful, fascinating stories to tell.
1:37.2	So you get a twofer on this episode of what it takes, a podcast about passion, vision, and perseverance from the Academy of Achievement.
1:47.0	I'm Alice Winkler.
1:49.0	Had a maid, this child is gifted, and I heard that enough that I started to believe it.
1:55.0	If you have the opportunity, not a perfect opportunity and you don't take it, you may never have another child.
	...

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