James Earl Jones did not have a starring role in the 1993 film The sandbox, but he left a huge impression, especially on the film’s young stars.

In a 2023 interview about The Rich Eisen Show, Sandlot star Patrick Renna reminisced about Jones — who died on Monday, September 9 at the age of 93 — on his only day on set in Utah.

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

Although the entire cast was intended to shoot a scene with him, the director changed the script to only feature two of the young stars: Tom Guiry and Mike Vitar (pictured above).

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

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

Renna and his fellow players were stunned by the interaction.

“That was the only time we spoke to him, and it was great. I didn’t need to meet him again after that. It’s okay, it’s over,” Renna said. “I’ll never forget it; I remember that day, when I saw him from a distance. Field of dreams had already come out, he has played in many films and of course we know him as That voice.”

Jones had a long career that began in the 1950s, earning him numerous award nominations (and EGOT status) along the way. He lent his unique 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, numerous celebrities posted tributes to the beloved star, featuring his on-screen Star Wars son Mark Hamill who simply wrote, “#RIP dad.”