James Earl Jones’ First Movie Is His Best

James Earl Jones, the voice of an entire generation’s childhood, passed away earlier this week at the age of 93. To call him a titan is underselling it; with his voice alone, he was able to breathe life into larger-than-life characters like Darth Vader and Mufasa, making them instantly iconic. And this is all before getting into his widely beloved work as a stage actor or his underrated supporting turns in Conan the Barbarian and Field of Dreams.

With such an immense filmography, it seems like a daunting task to single out even one movie from the lot. Yet his highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes is a surprising one — in 1994, he lent voiceover narration to the nature documentary Africa: The Serengeti, which currently boasts a 100% approval rating. But considering its runtime of 40 minutes and limited theatrical run (it only screened in IMAX), one could argue it truly doesn’t count. Jones’ highest-rated feature-length movie, on the other hand, was actually his theatrical debut: Dr. Strangelove.

Who Does James Earl Jones Play in Dr. Strangelove?

James Earl Jones only had a small (albeit pivotal) role in Stanley Kubrick’s comedic masterpiece. He played Lieutenant Lothar Zogg, a crew member onboard a B-52 bomber, commanded by Major T.J. “King” Kong (Slim Pickens). Their plane ends up being the one that drops the bomb inside the USSR, possibly triggering a nuclear war. Even if Jones didn’t get many lines in his first movie, he was already able to display a degree of gravitas in his handful of scenes, paving the way for an amazing career.

In fact, Jones was originally supposed to have a more substantial role; in an editorial he wrote for the Wall Street Journal in 2004, Zogg was first supposed to function as the voice of reason on board the plane. However, he clashed with the famously prickly Kubrick, whose method of working left Jones waiting for weeks on end to film his scenes, during which time he would forget his lines. According to Jones, this led to his screen time being diminished: “He momentarily stopped chewing his gum and then said very coldly, ‘Let’s move to the next set.’ I felt uncomfortable with him afterward.”

James Earl Jones Landed the Part Thanks to Surprising Reasons

But what really landed James Earl Jones the part in Dr. Strangelove, and arguably, by extension, what kickstarted his film career, was his military service. While attending the University of Michigan in the early 1950s, he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1953, shortly after the Korean War ended. Over the next few years, he was moved around various locations for training, eventually receiving the rank of first lieutenant, though he was discharged shortly after. Jones actually discovered his love of acting concurrently with his service; he majored in drama in college and worked as an actor and stage crew member in several different shows while waiting to be deployed.

After being discharged, Jones shifted his focus to acting full-time. He performed in several different Shakespeare productions and became widely renowned for his stage presence before landing his part in Dr. Strangelove. While Kubrick was likely excited at the prospect of working with an exciting up-and-comer, it’s safe to assume that Jones’ experience serving in the military and knowledge of protocol played a big part in helping him get the role.

Even though Jones only had limited screen time, he still managed to show genuine talent in one of the greatest films ever made. Studios quickly took notice, leading to one of the most underrated stage and screen careers of all time. And that’s all before his instantly iconic work as two of the most recognizable deep-voiced characters in cinematic history. Dr. Strangelove is streaming on Prime Video.