{"id":15268,"date":"2026-03-10T11:22:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T11:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/guideposts-classics-ed-asner-the-role-that-changed-his-life\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T05:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T05:59:08","slug":"guideposts-classics-ed-asner-the-role-that-changed-his-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/angels-and-miracles\/miracles\/gods-grace\/guideposts-classics-ed-asner-the-role-that-changed-his-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Guideposts Classics: Ed Asner on a Role That Changed His Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My heart was pounding as I stood in the shadowy wings of the University of Chicago\u2019s theater. It was summer term, August, 1951, and the intermission for our student production of T.S. Eliot\u2019s <em>Murder in the Cathedral<\/em> was nearly over.<\/p>\n<p>I could hear the sound of the audience returning to their seats. Nervously, I tugged at my belted costume. The musty purple garment was unlined and scratchy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ada4f91 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ada4f91\" data-element_type=\"container\" id=\"home-banner-stn\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-72e6e8eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"72e6e8eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Community Newsletter<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-261bcec elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"261bcec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Get More Inspiration Delivered to Your Inbox<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element 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25px;\",\"element_styles_background-color\":\"#ffffff\",\"element_styles_border-color\":\"#ffffff\",\"element_styles_advanced\":\"margin-bottom:0;nborder-radius: 25px;n-webkit-border-radius: 25px;\",\"manual_key\":true,\"id\":27,\"beforeField\":\"\",\"afterField\":\"\",\"parentType\":\"email\",\"element_templates\":[\"email\",\"input\"],\"old_classname\":\"\",\"wrap_template\":\"wrap\"},{\"objectType\":\"Field\",\"objectDomain\":\"fields\",\"editActive\":false,\"order\":2,\"idAttribute\":\"id\",\"label\":\"Subscribe Now\",\"type\":\"submit\",\"cellcid\":\"c4725\",\"processing_label\":\"Processing\",\"container_class\":\"\",\"element_class\":\"\",\"key\":\"subscribe_now_1660636976556\",\"wrap_styles_border\":\"\",\"wrap_styles_width\":120,\"wrap_styles_margin\":0,\"wrap_styles_padding\":0,\"wrap_styles_float\":\"\",\"wrap_styles_show_advanced_css\":1,\"element_styles_border\":\"\",\"element_styles_width\":120,\"element_styles_font-size\":\"\",\"element_styles_margin\":0,\"element_styles_padding\":0,\"element_styles_float\":\"\",\"element_styles_show_advanced_css\":0,\"submit_element_hover_styles_border\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_width\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_font-size\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_margin\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_padding\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_float\":\"\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_show_advanced_css\":0,\"wrap_styles_advanced\":\"\",\"element_styles_background-color\":\"#00ab84\",\"submit_element_hover_styles_background-color\":\"#00ab84\",\"drawerDisabled\":false,\"id\":28,\"beforeField\":\"\",\"afterField\":\"\",\"value\":\"\",\"label_pos\":\"above\",\"parentType\":\"textbox\",\"element_templates\":[\"submit\",\"button\",\"input\"],\"old_classname\":\"\",\"wrap_template\":\"wrap-no-label\"}];nfForms.push(form);<\/script><br \/>\n                <script id=\"nf-tmpl-cell\" type=\"text\/template\">\n            <nf-fields><\/nf-fields>\n        <\/script><\/p>\n<p>        <script id=\"nf-tmpl-row\" type=\"text\/template\">\n            <nf-cells><\/nf-cells>\n        <\/script><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>I was playing the lead role\u2014Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1170. Becket was a <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/post\/6-favorite-prayers-from-heroes-of-faith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christian martyr<\/a>, a man who lived and died in 12th-century England, in loyalty to his faith.<\/p>\n<p>So far, the play had gone well\u2014but I was more than a little nervous about the upcoming final act.<\/p>\n<p>Back in high school in Kansas City, Kansas, I had performed in many radio dramas, but this was my first try at stage acting. Since I\u2019d been in college, I had dabbled in a lot of subjects, but acting was the only thing that held my interest.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, more than any other time in my life, I wanted to do a good job.<\/p>\n<p>Restlessly, I tapped my foot.<\/p>\n<p><em>Don\u2019t worry<\/em>, I told myself.<em> You know your lines. You\u2019ll do fine.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But the anxiety I was feeling ran deeper than the usual case of opening night jitters. From the first rehearsal, I had felt unsure about the Becket role.<\/p>\n<p>There was a part of his character\u2014the essence of the man\u2014that I couldn\u2019t grasp. His relationship with God seemed so intense, so personal. I couldn\u2019t understand it.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hey<\/em>, I told myself again. <em>Take it easy.<\/em> But I couldn\u2019t stop worrying. Amid the confusion of backstage activity, I mentally reviewed the script, considering the events leading to the big final scene\u2014Becket\u2019s martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral.<\/p>\n<p>Under my breath, I murmured his final words of faith, hoping that this time I might somehow experience first-hand what Becket felt. It was my last chance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor my Lord\u201d\u2014I paused dramatically, waiting for <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/post\/9-inspiring-quotes-from-rabbi-abraham-joshua-heschel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">inspiration<\/a>\u2014\u201cI am now ready to die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But nothing happened. As usual, the words came out flat and empty. In the silence that followed, I flinched with the bitter realization that I would probably never be able to put myself in Becket\u2019s shoes, no matter how hard I tried.<\/p>\n<p><em>But,<\/em> I asked myself, <em>how could I be expected to? I was a 20th-century American Jew. What could I possibly have in common with a 12th-century Christian martyr?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The more I brooded about it, the more discouraged I became. This wasn\u2019t the first time my faith had seemed a stumbling block to my hopes, dreams, desires.<\/p>\n<p>Memories of growing up in Kansas City as one of less than 100 Orthodox Jewish families in a city of 120,000 came flooding back&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>It was four p.m., on a gray and muggy afternoon. I was a chubby little kid, waiting after school for the city bus (which was late) that would take me to the streetcar, that would take me to another city bus, that would finally drop me off at Hebrew school.<\/p>\n<p>All the other kids were having fun playing football or basketball, and visiting each other\u2019s houses and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.<\/p>\n<p>The sound of laughter caused me to look up as a group of classmates approached, grinning and joking and taking playful punches at one another. When they saw me, they waved hello, and stopped for a minute to talk. Then they moved on.<\/p>\n<p>I liked them a lot\u2014and I think they liked me, too. But they knew I was different.<\/p>\n<p>As I watched them walk away, I tried to ignore the hollow pit in my stomach. My fingers reached deep into my jacket pocket and curled around the soft, flat <em>yarmulke<\/em> that had been tucked there since morning.<\/p>\n<p>I would put it on this afternoon before entering the synagogue for lessons with the rabbi.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes I wondered what it would be like not to be Jewish; to be able to play with the other kids after school; not to have to wear a skull cap; to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>But then I chased away such thoughts with warm recollections of home and family behind the red brick walls of our two-story house on Oakland Avenue&#8230;the sweet aroma of fresh-baked <em>challah<\/em> wafting from Mama\u2019s always bustling kitchen; the candlelight magic of sundown seders; the mystery and wonder of shared prayers and songs around the dinner table on High Holy Days.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I had to face the fact that when I was away from home, I was lonely. Sometimes a deep fear gripped me\u2014a cold, hopeless feeling that I would never have friends, never be accepted, never be \u201cnormal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At moments like this, my best friend was my imagination. While waiting for the bus to Hebrew school, I entertained myself by lapsing into fantasy about my favorite Biblical characters.<\/p>\n<p>Like a mighty army of superheroes on parade, they thundered past the reviewing stand of my mind. First came Abraham, wise and faithful patriarch. Then came his son, Isaac, with grandson, Jacob\u2014who later became known as Israel\u2014and great-grandson, Joseph.<\/p>\n<p>Fearless Samson followed, his spectacular mane blowing in the wind. Daniel was there, too, flanked on either side by a pride of protective lions, like so many loyal dogs. All passed by in glorious procession.<\/p>\n<p>Then, finally, came Moses. His face shone brilliant with the light of the Lord. His eyes were ablaze with his vision of the Promised Land\u2014the land he would safely lead his people to, but would never reach himself.<\/p>\n<p><em>Truly<\/em>, I wondered, <em>these were all great men of God; men who lived and died in loyalty to their faith&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cEd!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I jumped, startled. It was the stage manager.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive minutes to curtain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks,\u201d I acknowledged.<\/p>\n<p>At the thought of going onstage, my old anxiety returned with staggering force. I felt like a little kid again\u2014afraid of failing, afraid of being rejected.<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly\u2014and quite unexpectedly\u2014I heard myself saying, \u201cLord, help me do a good job. Take away my fear. Let me live this role; let me be this man, Becket, who died so bravely so long ago. Don\u2019t&#8230;\u201d I hesitated. \u201cDon\u2019t let our differences stand in the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As I took a deep breath and walked on stage for Becket\u2019s final scene, my heart was racing.<\/p>\n<p><em>Why<\/em>, I thought frantically, <em>should this time be any different from the rehearsals?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But this time, something was different.<\/p>\n<p>God must have heard me, because suddenly I understood that the God Becket prayed to and died for was none other than the same God of my childhood\u2014the same God Who spoke to Abraham, the same God Moses saw face-to-face.<\/p>\n<p>The differences between Christianity and Judaism were great, certainly. Yet there was this tremendous heritage that we shared; faith in one Father, Creator of us all. Where once it seemed that Becket and I were strangers, now I knew what we had in common.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, I understood the man.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor my Lord,\u201d I heard my voice ring out with newfound conviction, \u201cI am now ready to die!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The words shot out like blazing arrows into the darkened theater. They must have hit their mark; the performance earned good reviews. From that night on, I knew I was destined to be an actor.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, I knew that never again would my faith be a stumbling block to my hopes, dreams, desires. Rather it would serve as a mighty bridge to meet them.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopguideposts.org\/magazines\/guideposts-magazine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> <em>magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My heart was pounding as I stood in the shadowy wings of the University of Chicago\u2019s theater. It was summer term, August, 1951, and the intermission for our student production of T.S. Eliot\u2019s Murder in the Cathedral was nearly over. I could hear the sound of the audience returning to their seats. Nervously, I tugged [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[265,33,76,220,58,68],"ppma_author":[2126],"class_list":["post-15268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gods-grace","tag-basketball","tag-celebrities","tag-father","tag-football","tag-guideposts","tag-summer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Guideposts Classics: Ed Asner on a Role That Changed His Life - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guideposts Classics: Ed Asner on a Role That Changed His Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My heart was pounding as I stood in the shadowy wings of the University of Chicago\u2019s theater. 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