From John-Boy Walton to Atticus Finch: Richard Thomas talks ‘To Get rid of a Mockingbird’
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Richard Thomas — like hundreds of thousands of others — read Harper Lee’s “To Get rid of a Mockingbird” as a college student.
“Probably early high university,” the acclaimed actor recalls. “I cherished the ebook.”
Yet, then he did one thing that a good deal of persons really don't: He study the guide once more as an adult. Of class, Thomas had a superior purpose to do so, due to the fact he’d just been solid to enjoy the character Atticus Finch in the touring production of “To Destroy a Mockingbird,” which opens to the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco on Sept. 13.
“When I was invited to do this tour, which I was extremely thrilled about, I go through (the e-book) once again,” he suggests. “As I have been stating to people, if you have not study ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ because you ended up a younger individual — and you preferred it — examine it yet again as an grownup, because it’s a complete other looking at practical experience.
“It holds up superbly. It was not a book that was prepared for young ones. It was penned for grownups. So, the studying experience as an grownup is incredibly distinct — it is incredibly rich.”
Thomas’ feedback position to the bizarre cultural phenomenon that exists in The us (and most likely well beyond), exactly where numerous embrace literary masterworks like “To Destroy a Mockingbird” in faculty and then are likely to go away them behind — probably in no way to flip by their internet pages once more — when they graduate.
“That’s genuine of so a lot of publications that are examine in university,” states Thomas, who is even now very best remembered for his role as John-Boy Walton in “The Waltons” vintage Tv set show. “I went to a sort of incredibly forward (wondering) university in New York — a boys faculty, way back in the day when dinosaurs walked the Earth — and I was reading Dostoevsky in ninth quality. Okay, but the 2nd time by way of “The Brothers Karamazov” was like, ‘Oh, my God, why did I read through that at this age?’
“I signify, it’s significant for youngsters to study textbooks that press them and extend their minds. I’m not indicating it should not be finished. But if you continue on to have an fascination in literature, it shouldn’t be your final partnership with these guides — since they have significantly much more to yield later on on.”
These acquainted with the 1960 novel will observe quite a few differences between Lee’s original text and the phase adaptation from acclaimed playwright Alan Sorkin (it was also adapted for the stage in 1990 by Christopher Sergel). Notably, in Sporkin’s choose, Finch is the principal protagonist in the play, not his daughter Scout.
People improvements led to a legal struggle for the duration of the growth of the present, as the Lee estate billed that Sorkin’s do the job diverse also greatly the Pulitzer Prize-successful novel. The lawsuit was sooner or later settled and the Bartlett Sher-directed “To Eliminate a Mockingbird” opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on Dec. 13, 2018.
The perform was a smash success, prompting a West Conclusion production to open — soon after quite a few pandemic-related delays — in March 2022 at the Gielgud Theatre in London. The likewise delayed touring creation released in March in Buffalo.
“We have been meant to start off in August of 2020,” Thomas says. “So, we have all been on hold for a lengthy time. It is so great that they held onto it and kept it heading.
“And below we are!”
Understandably, some could possibly feel it would be very intimidating to play 1 of literature’s most legendary people — Atticus Finch – in what the Chicago Tribune (and so quite a few other individuals) have called “the finest novel of all time.” Nevertheless, Thomas shrugs off that sort of discuss.
“It’s not scary,” he claims. “You have to form of neglect about that at a specified place. You cannot engage in icons on phase. It’s not achievable. Icons are picket paintings of saints. You can only participate in human beings.”
Thomas states that part of the natural beauty of what Sorkin has done with his adaptation “is kind of choose Atticus down off the pedestal and give him a amazing journey — just as a person, who’s struggling to increase these youngsters and do the right point in this court case.”
That absolutely components into what tends to make this play resonate so strongly with viewers, and most likely in some diverse methods than the novel. Sorkin seemed to foresee the rising tide of social unrest that was felt through the region through the pandemic.
“He wrote this engage in prior to 2020,” Thomas says. “This engage in was prepared in advance of George Floyd’s murder and just before all this things that happened in 2020 in phrases of obtaining down with our racial justice issues. It is astounding how prescient this adaptation was in terms of the lens via we are viewing these challenges now.”
Again, it goes again in big portion to the transformation of Atticus Finch.
“I consider the 1st issue (Sorkin) did was to get the white savior off the pedestal,” Thomas says. “He’s even now a gentleman who’s striving to do the proper issue. You are not on a pedestal for doing that — you are just hoping to be a first rate human being.”
“But this type of king determine, this type of white savior that every person should really really feel grateful to for carrying out the suitable thing — (Sorkin) produced limited operate of that,” Thomas adds. “I imagine that was really crucial, simply because we don’t get more details for doing what we want to be executing in any case.”
But, Thomas says that the primary resource substance — the novel — is about additional than justice.
“Because we ended up so deeply in the throes of our current battle with racial justice and social justice, we have a tendency to see (the enjoy) via that lens quite strongly — which it justifies,” he claims. “But it is also really substantially a story about escalating up. So, from Atticus’ position of see, it’s incredibly much the tale of becoming a dad and striving to increase these two young children with the aid of Calpurnia (the family cook) and to train them respect in how they handle other men and women and how they check out group — which is at odds with what they are studying about the way the globe truly performs.
“So, in some degree, the story is about the loss of innocence of the youngsters. And the perform is very significantly about the decline of innocence of Atticus as nicely.”
Further than theater, Thomas has remained active in other acting realms. Notably, he appeared in the Emmy-profitable Netflix collection “Ozark,” where by he performed Nathan Davis — the father of Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney).
“I liked undertaking that show. I liked that portion. I adore Laura,” he states. “It’s so ironic mainly because a few yrs in the past I had performed her partner on Broadway in ‘Little Foxes.’ (Laughs). It was like four small years from partner to father.”
And Thomas has an remedy for people questioning if the stone-faced Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) at any time smiles.
“Well, the actor smiles all the time,” Thomas says. “He’s a extremely amusing gentleman. And he operates a incredibly happy set.”
His a lot of other achievements incorporate starring in the mini-collection adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” and showing in FX’s “The Americans” as well as the attribute films “Taking Woodstock” and “Wonder Boys.”
Still, has any of this achievements stopped persons from shouting “It’s John-Boy” when they see him at airports?
“Oh, God, no. Of class, not. And could it under no circumstances quit. Carry it on,” Thomas claims. “I want to be hearing ‘Goodnight John-Boy’ at my funeral.”
‘TO Kill A MOCKINGBIRD’
Adapted by Aaron Sorkin from the Harper Lee novel, presented by BroadwaySF
When: Sept. 13-Oct. 9
Where: Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St. (at Market place Street), San Francisco
Tickets: $56-$256 (topic to change), www.broadwaysf.com
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