By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Most autographs don't have much of a story attached to them from the celebrities who sign them. Sure, you'll be telling friends about this moment for the rest of your life, but for a local celebrity, this was just another weekend afternoon in the off-season. However, the man who is the most famous Star Wars character has a wild story, which is equal parts sad and hateful. David Prowse wore a Vader suit but was called by James Earl Jones, and he was so angry that he signed most of his autographs with “David Prowse is Darth Vader.”
David Prowse is Darth Vader
To understand why this Star Wars icon was so aggressive about his autographs, you need to understand the history of bad blood between the late, great David Prowse and George Lucas. It all started with the first Star Wars movie. Prowse was a tall bodybuilder who was hired because his incredible physique made him perfect for the role of Vader. However, his voice wasn't quite right: the late Carrie Fisher once revealed that the cast nicknamed Prowse “Darth Farmer” because of his rural English accent, and Lucas hired James Earl Jones to cut all of Vader's lines on the fly. Look in wonder.
Having his famous character surprisingly reduced would probably not be enough to destroy the relationship between the two men, but what really pushed the boundary between Prowse and Lucas was an incident in 1978. Prowse and other Star Wars actors were signing autographs with the Darth Vader character. revealed that his character was actually Luke Skywalker's father. In fact, The Empire Strikes Back it wasn't written yet, so everyone's favorite cyborg was talking from his exit port. He just accurately predicted which movie would be released next.
At the end of the The Empire Strikes BackLuke isn't sure if Vader is really his father or if this was some weird Dark Side trick meant to manipulate him emotionally. Return of the Jedi confirmed who Luke's father was, but this big reveal was spoiled for fans one year before the film was released by a UK tabloid. Because of the earlier incident, Lucas always blamed Prowse for the leak, and the consequences were swift and brutal: Prowse was ostracized during filming, replaced by Sebastian Shaw in one of Vader's unmasked scenes, and banned from official Star meetings. Wars until 2010.
Still, you can tell Prowse had the last laugh. The temporary ban from official Star Wars conventions didn't stop him from appearing at other Comic-Con style events around the world, signing autographs for legions of fans. And he makes sure that each autograph is a statement to himself: “David Prowse is Darth Vader.” Some saw this as the opposite of James Earl Jones, but we see it as a way for the actor to remind people of his achievements in the franchise that ended up being far from him.
Obviously, this Star Wars story of sad autographs and insults isn't a great story, but we like to think it helps us remember something important about the franchise. Fans often pick on single creators (like George Lucas, Dave Filoni, or Rian Johnson) when a movie or TV show in a galaxy far, far away crashes and burns, but the truth is that it takes a village of creators to bring beloved stories to life. Celebrating Star Wars is celebrating all who have been a part of something that always gives fans so much joy.
David Prowse played one of the most important parts in the early days of this franchise, and we hope that his surviving family knows that we do not need an autograph to remind us of a simple and profound truth: now and forever, David Prowse is Darth. Vader.
Source: Mashable
Source link
