James Earl Jones: Thanks For The Memories

One of Hollywood’s biggest stars, James Earl Jones regretted a huge mistake — taking $7,000 to voice Darth Vader in Star Wars!

“I was broke and needed the money to pay rent and buy groceries,” confessed the icon, who spent two and a half hours doing the voiceover. “$7,000 was big money for me in those days! Nobody at the time knew Star Wars would become a cult hit.”

The Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winner, who died Sept. 9 at 93, made up for that pathetic payday earning over $45 million for roles in films like Field of Dreams and The Lion King, where he was the voice of Mufasa, the father of future leader Simba.