James Earl Jones (#197) - April, 2008

In a startlingly candid interview, actor James Earl Jones (Tony winner a Best Actor in a Play for 1969’s The Great White Hope and 1987’s Fences) talks about what drew him to playing the role of Big Daddy in the current revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and his views on the play being performed by African-American actors. He also charts his journey from stuttering youth to acclaimed actor, including his early training (in part at the American Theatre Wing School), his appearance in the acclaimed 1960 production of Genet's Les Blancs with co-stars including Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou, his years with the fledgling New York Shakespeare Festival, his landmark performances in The Great White Hope and Fences, his experiences working with playwright Athol Fugard and director Lloyd Richards, and why he never wants to be anyone's mentor.