Question:
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TheForce.Net Jedicouncil Interview: Dave Prowse
by Joshua Griffin
Mark from over at Autograph Bounty Hunter had the great opportunity
to have a private signing with Dave Prowse aka Darth Vader. They
used this opportunity to interview him at the same time and were
happy to announce that this is probably one of the best interviews
Mr Prowse has given in some time. He truly sheds new light on the
mysterious Sith Lord as well as explains a few misunder-standings
from the past. Please enjoy this interview with the worlds most
acclaimed screen villain… exclusive to TFN newsletter readers.
Chat with the Dark Lord of the Sith
The Online Film Critics Society recently announced that Darth Vader,
the Dark Lord of the Sith from the classic Star Wars Trilogy, has
been selected by its readers as the best screen villain ever. Even
though we all know that the villain is an amalgamation of
performances by James Earl Jones, Bob Anderson and others, the main
body (literally) of this performance is credited, rightfully so, to
the British weightlifter champion Dave Prowse. As we do with all the
private signings we organize, we had sent your questions to Mr
Prowse, who sheds new light on the galaxy's most notorious villain.
Mark: Dave, thank you for taking the time to talk to the Belgian
fans. How does it feel to have Darth Vader selected as best screen
villain ever? It proves that Darth Vader still appeals to audiences,
no?
Dave: Fantastic. This is the second time that Darth Vader has
received this honour as he was usurped by Hannibal Lecter for a short
period but is now no.1 again. The fantastic lines of fans that I get
at conventions prove Darth Vader's appeal.
Mark: You have been a guest of honor at numerous conventions in the
last decade. Have the fans changed over the years? Did you notice
any difference with days long gone at recent conventions you attended
in the US, such as the Celebration II or the show in Hamburg where we
last met?
Dave: No, the fans do not change at all! If there were any difference
it would be in as much as there are three distinct generations of
fans coming to see the movies.
Mark: Many fans were worried that you would never appear at
conventions again due to your health. We were relieved to see you up
and running again in Hamburg. How are you doing?
Dave: I have had a bad spell covering the last three years, but it
looks as if I am well on the mend and looking forward to an active
film and convention career in the future. I did in fact have a blood
disease that was caused by an abscess on the base of my spine and the
poison was in my system paralyzing my joints. I had both shoulders
and arm, my back and hips attacked and at one stage were really at
death's door. But with medical help and buckets full of antibiotics
(not to mention the Dark Side of the Force), I got over the
problem only to have a motor accident (on my birthday in 2001), which
dislodged my hip necessitating another hip replacement operation.
This has been done and I am almost back to walking normally again.
Mark: 'The Force is strong in this one!' Many fan communities discuss
the difference between the classic Darth – Vader that is – and the
new Darths – Maul in Episode I and Tyrannus in Episode II. Some go as
far as discussing the outcome of a possible battle between the
different Darths. Who would win in your opinion?
Dave: My only reply to this question is that Darth Maul was only in
Phantom Menace for about 10 minutes. I cannot even remember Tyrannus
in Episode 2. Whereas Darth Vader ran all the way through the Classic
Trilogy and his return in Episode III is probably the most eagerly
anticipated return in film history. I only hope that I
get the chance to reprise the role and am training hard to get back
into tiptop condition for when the call comes. I think if Darth
Vader were to meet any of the Darths he would kick ass!
Mark: Some people claim you and George Lucas have had some harsh
words and that you are no longer allowed to sign 'is Darth Vader' on
your photos. Is there any truth to that?
Dave: George Lucas and I have never had any harsh words. The last
time I spoke to him was when I gave him a copy of my book 'Play Safe
with the Stars' at the end of the shooting party for Return of the
Jedi in 1983. I heard at one stage that Lucasfilm were objecting to
my putting 'Dave Prowse is Darth Vader' on the autographs. But when
I pointed out that is was my name on the Star Wars credit, and NOT
James Earl Jones' or Bob Anderson's, the problem seemed to go away
and no objection has been raised since. The only other instance that
this has cropped up was when I was asked to sign comics for
QVC and QVC insisted that I signed the comics 'Dave Prowse – Darth
Vader'.
Mark: It's public knowledge that you weren't very happy with the way
you had to find out that your voice was dubbed in the original film.
But how about finding out that Vader was Luke's father? Was that a
surprise for you as well? Rumor has it you clapped the director on
the back when you found out in the cinema during the premiere of The
Empire Strikes Back.
Dave: I cannot remember being unhappy about the way I found out that
my voice was not going to be used for the voice of Vader. I learned
and delivered the dialogue through all three movies. I thought there
was a possibility that I would be going into the sound studio to
re-record the lines, but when this did not happen and the film came
out in
America I was already resigned to the fact that they had used another
voice. The first knowledge I had was when I received a cable from
Russ Meyer saying: 'Congratulations, you are in the biggest movie of
all time. Did you know that your voice has been dubbed?'
I think James Earl Jones did a wonderful job, but given the
opportunity, I still think I could have done a creditable job. Gary
Kurtz admitted to me that James Earl Jones' dialogue had to be
substantially altered to suite the character.
On The Empire Strikes Back, the production people were paranoid about
secrecy and to this date I have never seen a copy of the script for
Empire or Jedi. We were only given our pages the night before
filming the following day and we had no idea the dialogue we were
saying was ever going to be used. I must say I was agreeably
surprised when I found out at the premiere of Empire in Los Angeles
that my character was in fact Luke Skywalker's father. And what an
incredible twist to the plot, in my opinion!
Contrary to what Mark (Hamill) and Harrison (Ford) said in articles,
I never accosted Irvin Kershner, nor was I ever thinking about juming
over two rows of seats to smash Mark in the face in reprisal for him
not telling me the true dialogue!
Mark: We stand corrected! Is there a lot of Dave Prowse in Darth
Vader, or the other way around? How did you go about creating the
personality of Darth Vader? The specific way of moving?
Dave: The world knows that I am what I call a physical actor. I get
my work because I am 6'7" (about 2 meters) tall and weigh 130 kilos.
I am built like a barn door! After studying the script I decided the
first thing I had to do was to establish the 'Darth Vader walk' and
then to use body and head movements and arm gestures to emphasize my
dialogue. It worked a treat. There is a lot of me in Darth Vader. I
like to compete to win and not to just take part, but I do not have
Vader's ruthless streak.
Mark: What was your impression on the end product? What did you like
best about the classic trilogy? What is your favourite of the three?
Dave: I thought the first two movies (ANH and ESB) were fantastic and
had everything going for them: great story, excellent screen play,
the forerunner of special effects movies and introduction of film
technology the like of which had never been seen. Jedi, however, I
did not like as I felt that merchandising had raised its ugly head
and it seemed as though selling of products associated with the film
was more important than content. I also felt exactly the same about
Phantom Menace. This movie, being technically great, fell into the
merchandising pit. Attack of the Clones I thoroughly enjoyed, as you
can now see how all the parts are fitting in, building up the
crescendo of Episode III and the arrival of Darth Vader.
In the Classic Trilogy, although Star Wars itself was a great movie
and shook the industry to pieces, I still preferred Empire Strikes
Back. To me it was like an 'adult' version of Star Wars and I had
the great pleasure of working with the great Irvin Kershner.
Mark: Any chance you'll be in Episode III? James Earl Jones has
already revealed that he'll have a couple of lines at the end of
Episode III.
Dave: I would love to reprise the role of Darth Vader in Episode III.
At the moment I am dedicated to that end. I am back at the gym
training hard endeavoring to get the old walk back. I am confident
that by the time shooting comes round (fall this year) I will be
fully fit and walking properly and able to wield a lightsaber! James
Earl Jones did a TV interview in which he stated that George Lucas
had been in touch with him to tell him that he had seven minutes of
overdubbing of Darth Vader's dialogue, so you can see it will be a
substantial part.
Mark: Has Star Wars affected your other work? And can you tell us
anything else of your other (previous and upcoming) projects?
Dave: I am grateful that I was given the role of Darth Vader and that
he became such a success, because indirectly it had a fantastic
effect on my fourteen years of work as the figure head of the
governments child pedestrian road safety campaign (The Green
Cross Code Man). In fourteen years we saved over 250,000 children's
lives, a lot of which can be put down to the fact that all the
children took notice of what I had to say, because they believed that
Darth Vader was doing the instruction.
I never found that the fact that I was Darth Vader and regarded as
the ultimate screen villain of all time had any effect on my
achieving other work in show business. It did give me 'star status'
which means that people within the business look at me in a
completely different light prior to Star Wars. But I have never felt
that casting directors were clamoring to give me work because I had
created the Darth Vader role.
Mark: So what are your plans for the immediate future?
Dave: At the present moment, my life consists of traveling the world
doing Star Wars related conventions and appearances. However, there
are other avenues open to me and I am about to start my one man show
entitled 'An Evening with Dave Prowse'. It will be going round UK
theaters. I am lecturing on cruise liners, doing celebrity
appearances, writing and would you believe I have been taking signing
lessons for the past eighteen months? My book 'Straight from the
Force's mouth' will hopefully be out in time for Christmas, which
will mean touring all over the world with it.
Mark: I know what I'm getting for Christmas this year! If fans want
to see what you are up to, can they point their browsers in your
direction?
Dave: The easiest way for fans to keep up to date with my work and
appearances would be to log on the website
www.darthvader-starwars.com.
Mark: Dave, thank you so much for your time. It's been a privilege!
Hope to see you at another show soon and best of luck and health to
you and yours.
Dave: In finishing, I would like to reiterate how proud I am of my
association with George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd. and everyone involved
in the whole Star Wars Saga. Over the years I have had to take a lot
of adverse criticism because of false information and
misrepresentation by the media. I hope that in some way this
interview will shed some light on contentious issues and I want to
continue my association for years to come.
:thumbs:
Answer:

Cheers for that - an interesting read. Dave Prowse used to live five minutes from me (and may still do) and although I was very young at the time, I do have a vague memory of him visiting our school as the Green Cross Code Man. Great to hear he's now recovered from his illness and that he might be appearing in Episode III!
Answer:

Very intresting read thanx for posting :thumbs:
Answer:

He presumes that he'll be Vader again, I somehow doubt it.
Answer:

Originally posted by Panavision
He presumes that he'll be Vader again, I somehow doubt it.
Not very likely. Hayden Christiansen is reported to be bulking up to wear the suit, Prowse is not in good shape these days, and allegedly Lucas isn't too keen on Prowse because he let out quite a few titbits about Jedi before it was released.
Answer:

Yeah, Prowse is going to be very disapointed if he thinks he is going to be in Ep III. :rolleyes:
Answer:

At the present moment, my life consists of traveling the world
doing Star Wars related conventions and appearances. However, there
are other avenues open to me and I am about to start my one man show
entitled 'An Evening with Dave Prowse'. It will be going round UK
theaters. I am lecturing on cruise liners, doing celebrity
appearances, writing and would you believe I have been taking signing
lessons for the past eighteen months? My book 'Straight from the
Force's mouth' will hopefully be out in time for Christmas...
Alan Partridge alert!
He's 'Bouncing Back!'
;)
Answer:

Oi, Dave! - Move on already :rolleyes:
Answer:

yeah he does come across as a little possesive of the character.
Gotta agree that vader would kick mauls ass though :D
Answer:

Originally posted by Mozley
Alan Partridge alert!
He's 'Bouncing Back!'
;)
:lol: :notworthy :lol:
Answer:

One did the voice of Vader, another was in the costume, then Prowse was only there in that scene with the helmet being taken off at the end, that's all. Vader is like 4 or more people now.
Answer:

He criticises SW merchandising, hasn't spoken to Lucas since 1983 and thinks he has a chance of ever being DV again. 2+2=5 :nuts:
Mike.
Answer:

Originally posted by Lenny Nero
One did the voice of Vader, another was in the costume, then Prowse was only there in that scene with the helmet being taken off at the end, that's all. Vader is like 4 or more people now.
Erm no, Prowse was the bloke in the suit in all three films. Sebastian Shaw played Anakin Skywalker when the mask was finally removed. :noid:
Answer:

Oh,got the mixed up, well whatever, Christensen is tall enough, add padding under that Power Rangers suit and you got your Vader.
Answer:

James Earl Jones did the voice we all know and love.
Dave Prowse was in the suit for all of ANH and most of ESB/ROTJ.
A stuntman did the fight scenes in ESB/ROTJ.
Sebastian Shaw was the unmasked Vader and ghost Anakin Skywalker at the end of ROTJ.
Answer:

Originally posted by Rollo Tomassi
Cheers for that - an interesting read. Dave Prowse used to live five minutes from me
He lives about 10mins from me! I knocked down his front garden wall when I was a kid!
So I can claim:
I've kocked down Darth Vader front garden wall! :smokin:
Psycho :nuts:
Answer:

A little sad really.
Hes just tall guy in a suit who charges people £10 (a guess) at geek shows to sign his name on a photo! The guys who played R2-D2, Chewie, Bobafett etc. are all the same. Anyone with the right height could have played their character. A least the dude who played the gay robot can ay they used his voice!!
Still good luck to them all. If enough 40 year old single men tell you, your their idol over the years its bound to go to your head
Answer:

When I was a nipper David Prowse appeared at our local Woolco's in full Vader regalia I still have an autographed picture of me sitting on his knee somewhere. :dork:
Answer:

Originally posted by Harsin
When I was a nipper David Prowse appeared at our local Woolco's in full Vader regalia I still have an autographed picture of me sitting on his knee somewhere. :dork:
These days, pictures of Vader without a Prowse signature are more valuable than ones with a signature. :D
Answer:

Originally posted by General Zod
These days, pictures of Vader without a Prowse signature are more valuable than ones with a signature. :D
Much like Terry Pratchett books... ;)
Answer:

Originally posted by Soprano
A least the dude who played the gay robot can ay they used his voice!!
Which is why he's never at conventions!:D
I do go to movie conventions :suspect: , going to the Birmingham on the 5th April where surpirse surprise Prowse will be, and at the one before where Prowse was also in attendance I walked past him and there was NO queue whatsoever, I felt a bit sorry for him so I went and said hello.........didn't stick around long enough to pay the £15 for his scrawl though!
So what's given him the impression he'll be in Ep3 if the last time he spoke to Lucas was 1983??
Answer:

Originally posted by juan_schwartz
Which is why he's never at conventions!:D
I do go to movie conventions :suspect: , going to the Birmingham on the 5th April where surpirse surprise Prowse will be, and at the one before where Prowse was also in attendance I walked past him and there was NO queue whatsoever, I felt a bit sorry for him so I went and said hello.........didn't stick around long enough to pay the £15 for his scrawl though!
So what's given him the impression he'll be in Ep3 if the last time he spoke to Lucas was 1983??
I very much doubt he will appear.Hayden is beefing up to put on the armour and at the end of the day Lucus 's needs anything else he will just CGI Vader