How James Earl Jones Left the Young Stars of ‘The Sandlot’ Speechless During His 1 Day on Set

James Earl Jones didn’t have a lead role in 1993’s The Sandlot, but he left a giant impression — particularly on the film’s young stars.

In a 2023 interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Sandlot star Patrick Renna recalled his memory of Jones — who died on Monday, Sept. 9, at 93 years old — on his one day on set in Utah.

“We all knew him as Darth Vader,” Renna, now 45, shared. “He was there for a day. He had this huge trailer, and he was larger than life. He’s the famous James Earl Jones — we’re all speechless, and he was so cool.”

Though the whole tween cast was supposed to shoot a scene with him, the director changed the script to just feature two of the young stars, Tom Guiry and Mike Vitar (pictured above).

“He just looked at us and laughed in one scene,” Renna said of Jones’ character, the mysterious neighbor Mr. Mertle.

Eventually, Marty York (who played Alan ‘Yeah-Yeah’ McClennan) went up to him. “None of us had the guts,” Renna shared. He said, ” ‘Sir, I hear you’re James Earl Jones,’ or something like that. ‘You were Darth Vader in Star Wars.’ And he looked at him and said, ‘No I am your father.’ And that was it.”

Renna and his costars were floored by the interaction.

“That was the only time any of us talked to him, and it was pretty great. I didn’t need to meet him after that. It’s good, it’s done,” Renna said. “I’ll never forget; I remember that day, just seeing him from afar. Field of Dreams had already come out, he’s been in plenty of movies and then of course we know him as that voice.”

Jones had a lengthy career that began in the 1950s, earning him numerous awards nominations (and EGOT status) along the way. He lent his one-of-a-kind voice to an endless array of iconic roles, including Star Wars’ memorable villain and Mufasa in The Lion King.

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Born in 1931 in Mississippi, the actor attended the University of Michigan, where he was a pre-med major and a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He eventually joined the school’s drama department, and graduated in 1955.

Following the news of his death, myriad celebrities posted tributes to the beloved star, with his on-screen Star Wars son Mark Hamill writing simply, “#RIP dad.”