James Earl Jones - being an actor is fun, but you're self-critical

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James Earl Jones – being an actor is fun, but you’re self-critical

James Earl Jones, who is getting a lifetime achievement award Jan. 25 from the Screen Actors Guild, still radiates wonder at being part of the acting profession.

“What fascinates me is that every actor is given a charge, a task — no matter what your motive was in taking the role, even if it’s just to pay the bills,” the 78-year-old performer said in an interview.

“You’re the only person who will be able to present to an audience what that character is all about. You’re the public face of all the other work that’s gone into it. Your job is to create a performance that no one else would have thought of.

“And that,” Jones summed up with a boyish grin, “is fun!”

[Los Angeles Times January 23, 2009]

“I think self-criticism is sort of a given when you’re an actor. It’s also about being curious and not being flippant. Anyone who accepts being in this noble profession is automatically self-critical.”

[From article This is James Earl Jones, by Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times January 7, 2009.]