ESCONDIDO, Calif. — (AP) — When Aaron Pierre was cast as Mufasa, the weight of following in the late James Earl Jones' legendary footsteps was enough to rattle any actor. But instead of letting the pressure roar too loudly, he harnessed his nerves to breathe fresh life into his young lion character.
"I had a lot of nerves and I actually think those nerves served me because that is what the adolescent version of that lion is," Pierre said in an interview Friday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park about his leading role in "Mufasa: The Lion King." He took the reins as the new voice of Mufasa after Jones played the iconic King Mufasa in both the 1994 and 2019 versions of Disney's "The Lion King."
Here are some details and insights about “Mufasa" ahead of its release in theaters on Dec. 20.
Jones' voice isn't heard in the movie, but it opens with a brief tribute to the beloved actor, who died in September.
Pierre had hoped to meet Jones for the first time, but didn’t get the chance. Now, he’s determined to honor his idol by building on his character’s legacy.
“I imagine that an individual experiencing those things might have moments of not being sure and I wasn’t sure about myself,” he said. “Aaron wasn’t sure about Aaron going into this, I tried to channel those emotions as opposed to being something that prohibited me as something that propelled me forward. I gave it my best. I hope that I was able to serve James Earl Jones and honor James Earl Jones and the character.”
The live-action prequel offers a fresh exploration into Mufasa's origin.
After the events in the 2019 film, Rafiki takes on the role of a storytelling sage, weaving the untold tale of Mufasa for Kiara — the spirited granddaughter of Mufasa and the daughter of Simba and Nala. The duo Timon and Pumbaa stick around for Rafiki's flashback.
Rafiki reveals that Mufasa’s cubhood wasn’t all royal ease and sunlit horizons. After a heart-wrenching tragedy of being separated from his parents, young Mufasa finds himself lost and alone.
"He's been separated from his family. He's an orphan. He's been ostracized, he's been dismissed. He's been degraded," said Pierre, the British actor who's starred in the "Genius: MLK/X" series and the Netflix action hit "Rebel Ridge."
Mufasa was a stray until fate led him to Taka, the compassionate heir of a different pride. Taka, with his fierce yet nurturing mother, offer the displaced cub a new beginning in their pride.
Over the years, Mufasa and Taka’s bond grows from camaraderie to brotherhood. But their loyalty is put to the ultimate test during a journey that uncovers Mufasa’s true origins and rightful kingdom as well as the reasons behind Taka becoming Scar.
“There was a bit of Taka resting on the privilege that he was supposed to be afforded,” said Kelvin Harrison Jr., who plays Taka. He drew some inspiration from Jeremy Irons, who voiced the villainous Scar in the 1994 original.
“There’s a little bit of ‘Well, it seems like I need to command attention,'" continued Harrison, who starred in “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Waves.” "It seems like the only way to win over a pride of anything is to assert dominance. That was Taka’s version of that, which ended up being a staple as Scar.”
Beyoncé might have a small role in "Mufasa," but her daughter Blue Ivy Carter is the family's shining star in the film.
The eldest daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z makes her feature film debut, lending her voice as Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala, who is portrayed by her superstar mother.
“She came into this prepared,” said director Barry Jenkins, who heard Blue Ivy's narration on the audio book of Oscar winner Matthew Cherry's “Hair Love.” He said the 12-year-old phenom displayed some skills that could not be ignored.
“She was the main character and this whole movie starts with just voices,” Jenkins said. “They’re doing almost like a radio play and hearing that quality in her voice, I thought, ‘Oh, I think that’s my character,’" he continued. "Then she auditioned and it was clear that she is my character.”
While recording for Kiara's character, Jenkins said Blue Ivy, who won a Grammy for co-writing her mom’s 2019 hit “Brown Skin Girl,” was a pro.
“I don’t know Blue Ivy’s life, but I imagine she grows up a little bit different than everyone else,” he said. “I think because of that she’s grown up and so she had all these wells of understanding, experience, emotional knowledge that she brought to the character. She was awesome.”
Jenkins likens the Kiara character to the many children who will see the movie. In the film, she eagerly listens to John Kani's Rafiki tell her grandfather's origin story while Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) accompany them in a cave.
“They get to see themselves in that character and she’s learning the story about Mufasa,” Jenkins said. "She’s learning how he went through the same trials and tribulations, the same growth as she is."
Blue Ivy did not record her vocals with the three cast members, but Rogen applauded her skills.
“She was great," he said. "I could have sworn we were in that cave with her.”
When Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote new songs for the film, he often leaned on the famous Billie Jean King quote: "Pressure is a privilege."
Miranda was up for the challenge to leave his own imprint on the storied franchise much like his predecessors. He said there are seven new songs on the soundtrack, which will be released Dec. 13.
“I was emboldened by the fact that there’s the ’94 original which is like an immortal classic," said Miranda, the “Hamilton” creator and Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner.
"But there's also the Broadway musical and there's also Beyoncé's album 'The Lion King: The Gift,' which I think expanded the musical vocabulary of what can be a 'Lion King' song. So I felt a lot of space to create because I felt like 'Lion King' is practically a genre of music and there was room to play and find new stuff within it."
Miranda said his “secret ingredient” was Lebo M, who's known for his opening vocals on the classic melody “Circle of Life.” He said his lyrics were inspired by the script.
“His harmonies, the choral arrangements he created for the Broadway musical and for the show, I think were so important to the success of the music of these movies,” Miranda said. “I think it was exciting for him to work on new songs.”