I appreciate that you are an actor with a long and distinguished career, and your voice has added gravitas to various artistic and commercial projects. I can sympathize that you probably never earned the kind of money that many lesser actors take for granted and that you might have tended to offset this injustice by being less than discriminating in the artistic and commercial choices you have made in your career.
However, for the love of God, I cannot understand what made you consent to that commercial for Verizon in which you appear to be break dancing to a disco soundtrack. I know that it’s not you, but the fact that you had to wiggle your butt even the slightest to create this illusion should have caused you such discomfort as to risk a dislocated hip to leave the set as fast your legs could carry you. I quote my grandfather “I’d have to be eating a whole lot of government cheese before I could bring myself to do that on television.”
Take the hint Mr. Jones; this is a man, who is only several years your junior and has been known to wash his car in his ratty ass briefs on a hot summer day. This is a man who asked a college-aged store clerk (in his grandson’s [me] presence) if she wanted to come by later and decorate his “Christmas tree.” The double entendre was thankfully lost on the clerk, but I wanted to crawl under the express lane and die.
Therefore, I implore you Mr. Jones to please consider your future choices carefully. At the rate you are going, I can only imagine to what depths you will sink in order to insure a comfortable retirement.
Next thing you know, we’ll hear his basso profundo intoning, “Can you hear me now?” What next - Orson Welles hawking wine? Oh, no, wait. Um, how about Lois Lane selling electronics? No, wait, that’s not it. Well, jeez - is it really a surprise that some actors sell out to actually, you know, act? Even if they are as talented as Jones, and even if the contract is asinine, his body of work far outweighs any errors in judgement his agent talked him into, including lame endorsement contracts and/or roles that aren’t a perfect fit. Talent or no, can’t blame the guy for wanting to work and pay the bills - and he’s lucky to be successful enough to do so. (Besides, he probably got roped into a binding contract and had little to do with the creation of what, actually, he had to do.)
But, hey, he was Darth Vader - anything he does is automatically cool!
Truth be told, I think JEJ is pretty cool, and I don’t really fault him for making money while he is able. However, this commercial is in heavy rotation in the area, and I think it finally made me snap. Yes, I could turn the television off, but I just completed the semester and a mild vegatative state is the most I am able to accomplish at this time.
Did I mention that the commercial is to the tune “Ain’t no stopping us now we’re on the groove”? Don’t know the song, but it’s something like that.
BTW, according to IMDB, he was only paid $7,000 for Star Wars :eek:
Actually, I’m going to have to submit Best of the Best as his most riveting role. Come on, don’t act like you didn’t watch it when it was on TNN yesterday.
From what I’ve heard, he’ll do most anything to support his charities. IIRC, someone asked him to record a message for their answering machine. He did, but only after the person coughed up quite a few bucks for the privelge.
I’ve heard the answering machine message before. My friend found it online and he played it for me. Is it really him though or is it a joke? I had assumed it was just someone who sounded a lot like him.
I read he didn’t even want to be credited for Star Wars, because he felt his role was such a small one-not that he was ashamed of it, it was just modesty.
And Esprix is right-he CAN do anything he wants.
BTW, I find that to be one of my favorite commercials! Shake that money maker!
Please don’t get me wrong. I love my grandfather with all my heart, and he is one of the finest human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know. I am honored to be his grandson. He is a truly weird dude, but in a good way. Maybe some day I will write a thread about him. He is certainly an interesting man. He still drives a VW beetle from the late sixties - rusted floorboard and all. We all live in fear that we will get a call one night telling us that he has spilled out of that car onto the highway. He accompanied myself and my boyfriend to a gay club on a foam party night and had an awesome time - not bad for a 70 year old man, and he still would not have break danced for a television commercial.
What next - Orson Welles hawking wine? Oh, no, wait. Um, how about Lois Lane selling electronics? No, wait, that’s not it. Well, jeez - is it really a surprise that some actors sell out to actually, you know, act? Even if they are as talented as Jones, and even if the contract is asinine, his body of work far outweighs any errors in judgement his agent talked him into, including lame endorsement contracts and/or roles that aren’t a perfect fit. Talent or no, can’t blame the guy for wanting to work and pay the bills - and he’s lucky to be successful enough to do so. (Besides, he probably got roped into a binding contract and had little to do with the creation of what, actually, he had to do.)