Star Wars. The Lion King. Field of Dreams. These are just some of the many feature films that would not have been the same without James Earl Jones — an entertainment industry icon who we sadly lost on September 9, 2024, at the age of 93. One of the most recognizable voices in film history, in large part thanks to his iconic performances as Darth Vader and Mufasa, James Earl Jones’ versatility as an actor makes him an all-time great, ranging from a charismatic cult leader in Conan the Barbarian to a kindly next door neighbor in The Sandlot. This doesn’t even include his work on the stage, such as his complex leading role in the widely acclaimed Fences. James Earl Jones has one of the most reputable careers of all time when it comes to acting in film and on the stage, but what about that space in between? Jones has appeared in television programs occasionally, usually in a guest role, such as his appearance in Stargate SG-1. But one performance, in particular, stands out as his all-time best and his most memorable.
James Earl Jones and Sheldon Take the Day Off in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
The Big Bang Theory is no stranger to having major guest stars from pop culture. Stan Lee, Leonard Nimoy, and many more have appeared on the long-running sitcom, but James Earl Jones’ brief time on the show is easily the best one. Not only does Jones factor into the Big Bang Theory gang’s story in a surprising way, but the episode also gives the acclaimed actor a chance to lean into comedy, which is a rare occurrence for Jones despite his appearance in other comedies like Coming to America and The Sandlot.
Season 7, Episode 14, sees Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Howard (Simon Helberg), Raj (Kunal Nayyar), and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) try and fail to get into Comic-Con. Sheldon is particularly distraught by the bad news until he bumps into James Earl Jones at a restaurant. Now, in many (but not all) cases, when Sheldon meets a celebrity, it doesn’t tend to go all too well. It almost looks like that’s going to be the scenario for Sheldon’s first meeting with Jones. Sheldon appears in front of the actor wordlessly, and initially, it seems like Jones is annoyed, saying to Sheldon that he’s been in movies other than Star Wars. But then Jones hits him with the Uno Reverse card by saying he likes Star Wars too and invites him to sit down.
After that wholesome meeting, the rest of Jones’ screentime is just him and Sheldon hanging out and having fun. That’s it. No big conflict, no major stakes. Just a popular sitcom character spending a day with a pop culture icon. Sheldon puts up with a lot of flack from even his own friends on the show, so to get someone like James Earl Jones who genuinely seems to enjoy talking with a fan is a nice wholesome change of pace. Sure, he’s playing a characterization of himself, of course, but anyone who has seen interviews with James Earl Jones knows that his enthusiasm for his work is more than accurate.
With a “Lion King residual check burning a hole in his pocket”, Jones invites Sheldon to a night on the town. The two gleefully ride a ferris wheel, go to karaoke, and chill out in the sauna, where James Earl Jones even invites Sheldon and his friends to go to Comic-Con with him. The montage even shares some interesting James Earl Jones trivia when he and Sheldon get some ice cream, such as Jones being functionally mute for much of his life due to a stutter. A thought that’s almost impossible to comprehend considering his voice alone has injected so much life into some of the world’s best-known stories.
James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher Met For the First Time on ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Another thing that this particular episode of The Big Bang Theory is known for is another cameo appearance from the late-great woman behind Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher. The fellow Star Wars icon appears when James Earl Jones and Sheldon performed a ding-dong ditch prank on Fisher, all to hysterical results. It portrays Jones and Fisher as old friends, but believe it or not, they had never met until being on The Big Bang Theory.
As Star Wars fans probably already know, James Earl Jones solely provided the voice of Darth Vader while he was physically played by David Prowse. Due to that, there was no reason for James Earl Jones and Carrie Fisher to be on set together, despite them playing father and daughter in one of cinema’s most famous trilogies. However, The Big Bang Theory righted that wrong by uniting two of pop culture’s greatest stars, both of whom are and will be greatly missed by the industry they helped build.
