Anybody familiar with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird understands that Atticus Finch is the ultimate forthright protagonist. Sure, the story is told from his daughter Scout's perspective, but Atticus is the hero of the story. Scout may make the last-minute appeal to her Maycomb neighbors, sparing her father's hide in a tense confrontation, but Atticus' intelligence and sincerity give his family and neighbors the hope they need. He is a man out of time, fearless in standing apart from his peers in doing what is right. 

If you're a fan of The Waltons, that character description might seem familiar. John-Boy, the caring, responsible eldest Walton child, isn't too far off from Atticus Finch. After all, John-Boy is a writer. Really, writers are just lawyers who don't get paid as much. Both jobs consist of stringing together a story to convince an audience.

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The WaltonsRichard Thomas

For Richard Thomas, being John-Boy was a double-edged sword

It's not that big of a stretch to imagine John-Boy growing up to be someone like Atticus Finch. It makes sense, then, that Richard Thomas, the actor who played John-Boy on The Waltons grew up to play Atticus Finch onstage. Beginning in 2022, Thomas starred in the National Broadway touring production of To Kill a Mockingbird. This staging was penned by television and movie scribe Alan Sorkin. Unsurprisingly, Thomas soars in the role. 

"He's an absolutely, absolutely sublime Atticus and a really beautiful human being," said co-star Jacqueline Williams in a 2023 interview with The Kansas City Star. Williams stars as Calpurnia, the Finches' family cook. One of the best things Sorkin's production does is reframe the relationship between Atticus and Calpurnia, adding layers to both characters in the process.

In that same Star article, Thomas praises Sorkin's ability to stay reverent of the text while not being precious about the source material, saying the playwright has "taken Atticus off the pedestal, and thank God for that."

"He's made this Atticus very, very human, a man with a lot to learn and a very teachable person," said Thomas. "He's given him a wonderful sense of humor, and I think warmed him up a bit. It makes him a real pleasure to play."

Spencer's Mountain, the novel that spawned The Waltons, was published just one year after To Kill a Mockingbird, and the books share a lot in common. Both are set in the South in the 1930s, and both uphold virtues such as honor and truthfulness. The authors of each book, Earl Hamner and Harper Lee, died within five weeks of each other in 2016.

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