Why making the live-action Lion King reduced the multi-talented Donald Glover to tears
Star of The Lion King, Donald Glover, took his son to see the live-action remake of his favourite movie without him knowing his dad played the lead role. And his son’s reaction when he realised was priceless.
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When Donald Glover sat next to his three-year-old son, Legend, at last week’s world premiere of The Lion King, he admits it was one of the most emotional experiences of his life.
“I saw the original film with my dad when I was in the 4th grade, and even back then it felt very important to me,” he says.
Twenty-five years later, Glover was chosen to voice his favourite character, Simba, in the updated version.
“It was a very big deal for me, especially because while we were making the film last year, I lost my father.”
Understandably, the opening track, Circle Of Life (nominated for an Academy award in 1994), struck a chord with the actor-comedian-director-musician.
“I watched it with great pride and heaviness,” he explains.
“And I cried. Actually, one of my earliest memories of my dad was going to kindergarten and my dad telling me, ‘Don’t be afraid to cry. You can cry whenever you want and don’t let anybody tell you it’s not OK to cry’.” He laughs. “And I still cry a lot!”
Legend Glover was excited to see The Lion King, partly because Beyonce, his other favourite musical artist, plays Nala (Simba’s friend, ally and betrothed).
But he wasn’t ready for the surprise in store for him.
“He didn’t know I was in it. So I just let him watch it. When he realised it was me singing, it was awesome, so much fun,” he laughs.
“I didn’t want to tell him because I thought, this is the only time this will ever happen as it’s his favourite movie. When he realised it was me, he just crawled into my arms — it was a beautiful moment,” he smiles.
“The myth of that story and being exposed to the idea of losing a parent at such a young age is a brand-new idea to a child, but then later you remember the film as being fun. So it’s a classic because of all those elements.”
The Lion King is directed by Jon Favreau, who has experience in the genre, having recently directed the remake of The Jungle Book, in 2016.
In this re-imagining, he pushes the animation to photorealistic extremes.
“There were some breakthroughs technologically (since The Jungle Book) by the special effects people. And it was important to assemble a cast that looked good, so nobody was going to say ‘Hey, why is that person in The Lion King?’”
Indeed. Next to Glover and Beyonce, the cast includes James Earl Jones (Mufasa), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), John Oliver (Zazu), Seth Rogen (Pumbaa), Jon Kani (Rafiki), and Billy Eichner (Timon).
Favreau adds, “When we first announced we were casting James Earl Jones and Donald Glover, it sent a message to what we were up to, because James Earl Jones is iconic and Donald Glover was somebody who people were just discovering,” he says.
“But everybody was in agreement that Donald was this unique talent, and we were mixing the old with the new. There would be some surprises, but it was still, ‘Don’t worry, we got you, we are still making The Lion King’.”
Glover was known in the sitcom, Community, before he created the series Atlanta, in which he stars and occasionally directs.
The show has won numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, a Golden Globe for Best TV Series Musical or Comedy, as well as a trophy for Best Actor.
And on the big screen, his performances include Magic Mike XXL, The Martian (2015), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and last year’s Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Glover’s music career, for which he goes under the name Childish Gambino, is equally successful, and has earned him multiple Grammys, most recently last year, for This Is America.
He admits that straddling two high-profile careers is overkill, and this tour as Gambino — he plays Rod Laver Arena tonight, ahead of the Splendour In the Grass festival on the weekend — will be his last.
“I remember talking to Justin Timberlake years ago and he said, ‘Man, it’s really hard to do both,’ and I thought, ‘No, it’s not. You’ve just got to be ready for it.’ Well, in reality, your body goes through a lot and it’s also a time-constraint thing.
“I want to hang out with my kids (his youngest son, whose name is yet to be revealed, is 18 months old), and I don’t want to feel like I’m short-changing either of them.”
Glover is raising his boys in Atlanta with his long-term partner, Michelle White.
“As you get older, you have to decide what deserves your energy and love.” He smiles. “And I’m really tired.”
Yet surely, at only age 35, there’s a lot more music in him yet?
“I just feel like it’s time for me to be home. And really, there’s nothing I’m going to do that doesn’t have music in it.”
Now in the midst of the Australian leg of his final tour, This is America, he explains why he cancelled the previous sellout dates last year.
“I broke my foot, which is why I wasn’t able to go last year. Australia has always been super, super supportive of me, and I want to do a really good job so audiences can say, ‘Oh, I saw those last shows and they were amazing’. I remember seeing James Brown one of the last times, so I always listen to him before I go on stage to help me.”
READ MORE:
BEYONCE AND MEGHAN’S TOUCHING MOMENT
HOW CHILDISH GAMBINO ROSE TO FAME
BROMANCE THE MANE EVENT IN LION KING REMAKE
And from today, audiences around the world will be listening to Glover’s take on the iconic lion cub, Simba.
“The Circle Of Life is probably my favourite song,” he says. “It’s so much about how we exist, and that’s very meaningful to me, and I feel very nourished by that. It’s a song that’s very relatable to me at this moment in time.”
The Lion King opens today.
Childish Gambino, Rod Laver Arena, tonight
Splendour In the Grass, Fri-Sun
Qudos Bank Arena, July 24
Originally published as Why making the live-action Lion King reduced the multi-talented Donald Glover to tears
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