Actor Richard Thomas stars in the national touring company of To Kill A Mockingbird at MSU’s Wharton Center this week.
Playing Atticus Finch, Thomas called the attorney “a character that anybody would want to play.”
Aaron Sorkin wrote this stage adaption of Harper Lee’s classic novel. Thomas thinks Sorkin has taken Atticus off his pedestal.
“He’s made him a teachable man who has a lot to learn about himself and his community and his position and about his children," said Thomas. "I think he’s a more accessible Atticus than we’re used to.”
Thomas has a lengthy resume that starts with Sunrise at Campobello on Broadway at the age of seven. He was nominated for a Tony Award for The Little Foxes, and won an Emmy Award for his work as John Boy Walton in the TV series The Waltons.
Thomas said To Kill A Mockingbird is “always relevant,” adding that it's a great time to tell this story in a cross-country tour.
“It’s a great play in its own right, not just because it’s an adaptation of a great book,” Thomas added.
To Kill A Mockingbird is at the Wharton Center through Sunday.
The Wharton Center is a financial supporter of WKAR.
