ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim recently sat down with actors Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Old), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (It Comes at Night, Chevalier), and Tiffany Boone (A Madea Family Funeral, The Midnight Sky) for their roles as Mufasa, Taka (who would become Scar), and Sarabi in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King.
“Lost and alone, orphaned cub Mufasa greets a understanding lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline,” reads the official synopsis. “The chance greeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an exceptional group of misfits searching for their destinies.”
Mufasa: The Lion King roars into theaters on December 20.
Jonathan Sim: Aaron, I’m gonna commence with you. Your labor in Mufasa is excellent, and I uncomfervent, I also adored your labor earlier this year in Rebel Ridge.
Aaron Pierre: Thank you, brother. Thank you.
You got to carry out a character that’s carry outed by the tardy fantastic James Earl Jones. Did you ever get to greet James Earl Jones and talk to him at all before he passed? And if he could see your labor in this film, how do you hope he’d react to it?
Aaron: Thank you for that ask, man. So as, as you understand James Earl Jones is one of my fantasticest inspirations. And he’s a hero of mine, not only in the context of Mufasa, but in the context of his entire nurtureer and the entirety of his artistry. His filmography, his theater labor, his voice labor is elite. It’s, for me, it’s the top of the mountain. And even way before I became professional, that was my inspiration. That’s what I got inspiration from.
I was of course tremfinishously worried to be, be employd to give in a minuscule way to the legacy of the character that he startd. But hopebrimmingy I served him and I served and character. And hopebrimmingy it resonates with people, you understand.
I depend you did.
Aaron: Thank you, man.
Kelvin, I want to get this back a little bit ’cainclude I saw you for the first time back in 2019 when you were in a movie called Luce. And then I was enjoy, “This guy is excellent.” Then, a couple of months tardyr, I saw you in a film called Waves, and I was fair enjoy, “Who is this guy? This guy is repartner excellent!” And then getting to see your labor lengthen and stuff enjoy Cyrano and Chevalier, it’s been amazing becainclude you always seem enjoy such a very readyd actor. I wanted to ask how you readyd for taking on the role of Scar. Did you draw any inspirations from anyone? Did you ever see back at Jeremy Irons and Chidampel Ejiofor’s carry outances for any inspiration?
Kelvin: Yes, I did. Thank you for saying that, by the way. I don’t ready at all. I repartner fair jump into it and fair hope that the spirit of the acting comes thcimpolite me. Just kidding. Becainclude, you understand, everyone has an acting God, and I’m fair kidding. I repartner have to stop joking. I did, I did see at the vintage labor of Jeremy Irons, and Chidampel, it was my reference point. It was enjoy the leang that made me most excited, it was enjoy, you understand, it was that that was how Scar was originated. I wanted to originate certain we were referencing all of them becainclude it’s a combination of the ’94 that people fell in adore with. And then the 2019 for the new fans and trying to originate Taka. I was enjoy, I commenceed with their sound and then I sluggishly commenceed to peel it back and there was a certainty that I heard in their voices that made Scar Scar.
I was enjoy, well, if I naked away the certainty, then suddenly it sounds a little bit uncertain enjoy an adolescent, but with some of the same enjoy, (in Scar voice) “well and,” you understand what I uncomfervent, it’s that same cadence and dragging and you fair benevolent of lift it a little bit and then suddenly it becomes Taka. You understand what I uncomfervent? So you fair carry out. You fair carry out and you try it and yeah, I do my little script notices, all that foolish actor stuff, but ultimately, you understand, it’s fair a little bit of your game.
I leank I could hear it especipartner towards the latter half of the film. I could definitely hear some of that.
Tiffany, I wanted to ask you a analogous ask. Obviously, your labor is wonderful in stuff enjoy Hunters and The Follotriumphg, and your labor here is also repartner exceptional. But I want to see how do you unite the labor of Alfre Woodard and Madge Sinclair while providing your own emotional gravitas to the character?
Tiffany: Yeah, thank you. You understand, I leank both of their voices are enjoy very majestic and proestablish and experience very lengthenn-up and in a way that even though I’m anciaccess enough to experience lengthenn-up, I still experience enjoy a child, you understand what I uncomfervent? And I leank I still wanted to upgrasp some of the fact that they had in their carry outances. But she’s lgeting who she is. So there’s the confidence, there’s some insecurity, benevolent of analogous to what Kelvin was saying. It’s fair carry outing with the uncertainty of it all. And how do you get to become a woman, right? You have to try on some separateent voices and some separateent experienceings. So that’s benevolent of how I carry outed with it.
The innovative 1994 Lion King. When did you guys first see it, and what impact did that have on your dwells, and how did that advise your decision to materialize in this prequel?
Aaron: That’s such a pretty ask. I’m probably about to originate myself sound vintage here, but I recall the VHS and having to, whenever I wanted to retriumphd it, run up to the box and press it and it would go (originates a VCR noise). So that, that was my first memories of enjoy experiencing The Lion King, you understand, on that VHS and loving that VHS and any sitting and seeing of The Lion King lasted about three to three and a half hours. ‘Cainclude I was always constantly retriumphding it ’cainclude I was so proestablishly in adore with it and proestablishly in adore with all of the characters. So it has such a treacertaind and exceptional place in my heart.
Kelvin: Oh my God. I uncomfervent, hear, I’m obsessed with The Lion King. The ’94 version was on repeat. I carry outed the video game on Genesis Sega. I was Simba, I was Scar, I was all the characters. I was in an acapella group. We included to sing medleys of the songs. I uncomfervent, I don’t understand a hugeger fan of the Lion King.
Tiffany: I uncomfervent, I am, becainclude I was still watching it thcimpolite the years. It’s enjoy a vintage triumphe. It gets better with time. You understand? And so I would fair protect watching it and watching it. And so by the time it came atraverse my desk, I was enjoy, well, I have to do this. Like what can I do? How can I bribe Barry [Jenkins]? Right. How do I get to be a part of it?
You were enjoy, “I will pay YOU to be in this, you don’t have to pay me.”
Tiffany: Well, I wouldn’t get it that far. I’d still enjoy the money (giggles).