Most people would recognize Thomas Newman from his musical work, as a career scoring films like The Shawshank Redemption and Finding Nemo has kept him a Hollywood staple for decades. That being said, film buffs would also mark the Elemental composer as notable for another reason: he belongs to a family dynasty of movie music legends – which is ultimately what led to him being able to work with John Williams on the music for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year).
When I sat down to interview Thomas Newman, I asked about how he wound up orchestrating a cue for Maestro Williams just as the Star Wars legacy was hitting its first grand finale. Recounting the story, the composer said,
John Williams was great friends with my uncle Lionel, who was head of music at Fox – and I’d been around John for a long time, in his sphere a little bit. At one point, I’d asked if I could study with him, and he was not interested in that. I was starting out, I just think he was being generous. He gave me, I think when I say an ‘easy scene’ to score, easy in terms of not being note-y. But his scores, his sketches are so complete that I don’t think I did much … it was scary, and he was very generous about it, and in retrospect it’s obviously just a little bit of movie music history that is fun to be a part of. But I dunno. It makes me slightly shy.
"Uncle Lionel" is only one of many members who built the Newman family legacy of which Thomas Newman is a part. His father, Alfred, was also a composer and famously created the studio fanfare for 20th Century Fox – a tune that still plays in front of productions from the company’s current incarnation, 20th Century Studios. Meanwhile, Thomas' older brother, David Newman, has scored pictures like Serenity and Ice Age, and cousin Randy Newman helped kick off the Pixar catalog with his scores to films like Toy Story and A Bug’s Life.
Following in his cousin’s footsteps with 2003’s Finding Nemo, Thomas Newman counts that film as one of the watershed moments in his musical career. But jumping back to 1983, the young composer had not yet written his first major film score. He was looking for his big break, and his family’s association with John Williams led to an opportunity.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi gave Thomas Newman a crucial starting point before releasing his own first feature film scores in 1984. In a 2015 interview with NPR, the composer revealed that very scene he got to score was in Return of the Jedi. During that anecdote, he talked about this full circle moment that saw him in the Endor sun:
He threw me a bone. I mean, he would not put it that way. But he let me orchestrate a cue from Return of the Jedi, when Darth Vader dies. It was an amazing thing to do.
Picturing this scenario is enough to drive anyone into ”2 AM sweats” akin to what Thomas Newman experienced during the scoring of Skyfall. Just imagine being a young composer in a family full of musical legends and you’re given a very important scene to conduct. Keep in mind, this was supposed to be the epic climax to the Star Wars legacy, as it didn’t look like prequels or sequels would ever be in the picture.
That’s kind of like Alan Silvestri tapping a young music student to conduct Tony Stark’s big death scene in Avengers: Endgame, and it must have felt like it in the moment. So when the big day came, this is presumably the moment where Thomas was put to the test, conducting this cue into movie history:
Eventually, Thomas Newman would find himself connected to John Williams in another regard, as the 2015 interview place during a special occasion. Williams’ regular collaboration with Steven Spielberg was interrupted at the time by a period of illness, requiring a different composer to step in for 2015’s Bridge of Spies.
Having such a close connection to John Williams’ sphere of influence probably helped Thomas Newman land on the shortlist for the duties. As one of only three composers to fill in when John Williams was unable to work with Spielberg, Newman occupies a rarified air in his profession, and deservedly so. Yet, as you can read above, and in other recollections he's provided from throughout his career, Maestro Newman is pretty humble about it all.
For all of his accomplishments, Thomas isn’t a person who takes opportunities for granted. When speaking with him, I asked if there were any sorts of opportunities that he was looking to nab in any other well-established realms. His response was a solid no, as he reflected that he takes the paths offered to him as they come.
So far, I’d have to say that strategy has served him rather well, and will no doubt continue to do so in the future to come. Four Pixar movies, two James Bond adventures, and a bunch of other legendary musical scores don't just appear out of nowhere. Speaking of which, you can hear Thomas Newman’s latest score at the movies, thanks to Disney/Pixar’s Elemental continuing to occupy the box office top 10. You're also able to stream that album, wherever you choose to enjoy your musical tastes online.
