Hear it from Darth Vader Himself

[A24 4,364]

INTERNET EXCLUSIVE

Vader saves Star Wars

By JONATHAN WEINBERG

HE may be the man behind the most feared movie villain of all time but Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse has now turned superhero ? to rescue Star Wars supremo George Lucas.

Twenty-eight years after winning a place in science fiction film history for his role as the giant galactic baddie, the 69-year-old is back on the big screen, playing himself in Saving Star Wars.

The movie was shown on Sunday night at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival and tells the story of a band of crazy Star Wars fans who kidnap Lucas, the movie series? legendary filmmaker.

Dave said: ?The fans hated the last two movies and they hear he?s got the script for the new one in a briefcase that?s chained to his wrist.

?They want to persuade him to get back to the essence of the original films.

?I get the job of saving George at the end and they?ve got a great lookalike for him.?

The low-budget flick is a far cry from the multi-million-pound movie trilogy that made Dave a household name.

Saving Star Wars was made on a budget of just £50,000 but has had great festival reviews and is now available on DVD.

But even ?saving George? wasn?t enough to win Dave the role he really wanted ? a return stint as Darth Vader in the sixth and final Star Wars movie Revenge of the Sith.

Released on May 19, it stars Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and will finally reveal how the young Jedi Knight is transformed into Darth Vader ? showing how he is turned by the infamous ?dark side of the Force?.

And even though he?s now a pensioner, Dave admits he was bitterly disappointed not to have been offered the chance to finish what he started in that galaxy far, far away.

He said: ?I?ve only seen a teaser trailer for the new film but it looks like it will be terrific.

?I let everyone know I was interested in the Darth Vader role but no one took me up on the offer.

?I?d have loved to have done it but I guess they wanted Hayden.

?But when I did Star Wars I was 6ft 7in and weighed 20 stone and Hayden is about 5ft 9in and 10 stone soaking wet.

?How they are going to carry it off I don?t know. They will probably just use more special effects.?

Dave added: ?It?s a different kettle of fish now and I think that is for the worse.

?The CGI effects are now so good that eventually it will be the death knell for small part actors and actresses. You?ll just have the main stars.?

Now living in Croydon, south-east London, with wife Norma, the Bristol-born actor has fond memories of his time bringing death and destruction to outer space.

But he admits being known as the man in that famous black mask ? which he last wore for Return of the Jedi in 1983 ? does have its advantages.

He said: ?I am regarded as the ultimate screen villian of all time but I can walk around Croydon and have complete anonymity. That?s the joy of playing a masked character.

?Or I can go to a convention and have as much publicity as I want. You can switch it off when you don?t want it and that?s the best situation.

?I?d hate to be someone on the soaps.?

Dave is a regular on the sci-fi convention circuit and is looking forward to meeting up with more than 50 of his former co-stars at a massive exhibition in Indianapolis, US, in April.

He said: ?If I wanted to I could be somewhere in the world every weekend. That?s how busy it is. I?ve literally signed hundreds of thousands of autographs over the years.

?They are absolutely fanatical about Star Wars in Japan and I?ve got appearances lined up in Puerto Rico and Buenos Aires.

?I am knocked out that after 28 years people still queue up to see me. I?ve now put a show together, like an Evening With, and we are now touring the theatres and universities across the UK. We?re also set to go all across America.?

With just a few months to go until the final movie brings the curtain down on the Star Wars series, Dave says he is certain it will be a fitting finale.

The two recent prequels, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, were panned by fans and critics alike.

Dave said: ?Empire Strikes Back was my favourite. It was the adult version of Star Wars.

?But I didn?t like Jedi because of the Ewoks. It also started the merchandising culture.

?With Phantom Menace I just felt they lost the plot with all the strange characters and convoluted story.

?And the technology was so much better in a film that was set 40 years before the first Star Wars.?

Dave, who also starred in three Hammer Horror films, Clockwork Orange and Casino Royale, is now writing his autobiography, which is due out in March.

As well as being packed with Star Wars stories and acting anecdotes, it will also tell of his exploits as a world champion weightlifter and bodybuilder.

When he?s not meeting fans, the doting granddad is making the most of the time he spends with grandchildren Hannah, ten, and Josh, eight ? now the pair have managed to separate fact from fiction.

Dave said: ?They knew nothing about Star Wars until they went to school and one day they came home and said, ?Grandad, you?re a baddie aren?t you?.

?I said ?No, I?m quite nice. I give you pocket money? but they said everyone at school had told them I was a bad man.

?So we showed them the films and they loved it and both wanted lightsabers.?

It may be more than two decades since Dave hung up his lightsaber but the star hasn?t called time on showbusiness. He has now swopped acting for singing and last year even dueted with legendary showman Howard Kiel in Las Vegas.

He said: ?I?ve been having lessons for about three years now. My teacher loves the fact he?s got Darth Vader as a pupil.

?I do things like Old Man River and songs from the shows but someone has offered me a cover and I want to do it as a Christmas single.

?But I promise you, I won?t do it dressed as Darth!?

[Luke Skywalker 1,806]

Prowse may want everything he wants. but putting him as vader would surely had the same effect than putting Alec Guiness (if he was alive) in the prequels with make up to look young.

Man the guy shouldnt' had the same body as 25 years ago...

[Jeshopk 8]

Poor, bitter David Prowse.

A story goes that he was mad when he saw Star Wars and his lines were dubbed. He thought his on set-through the helmet voice was going to sound good enough to use in the movie? I guess brains and brawn did not meet this in this instance.

[Elmo Lewis 6]

And his voice acting would have ruined the movie. I saw excerpts of it in a Lucasfilm documentary about the (then) new sound system THX.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

And who else but James Earl Jones could ever have been Vader?

[sfrosa 0]

Yeah, he's on the DVD documentary as well. His voice actually sounds eerily close to Rick Moranis in Spaceballs.

It would have been nice for Prowse to return in the suit, but there's no reason for him to take shots at Haden Christensen. Two other actors played Vader in the OT, including stuntman Bob Anderson who handled the more difficult swordplay.

When Lucas offered him the role of either the Villain or the Big Space Monkey, he should have realised he was not being hired for his acting abilities.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

What's the point in getting him in though if they DO have Christensen? I mean, he is Anakin. No need to extend the role of Anakin/Vader over more than two people (Jones and Christensen).

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Because Hayden is Anakin, but Prowse is Darth Vader.

[A24 4,364]

Because Hayden is Anakin, but Prowse is Darth Vader.

Or is it James Earl Jones that is the real Darth Vader?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

It is a combination of Prowse and Jones, obviously.

[Lurker 5]

What about Sebastian Shaw? Is he Anakin or Vader?

Neil

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Anakin, but the old one.

[Lurker 5]

But he's in the Vader suit and he's truly the actor behind the mask.

Neil

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

But he only appears in RotJ as Anakin (i.e. the redeemed Vader), and RotJ takes place 23 years after RotS.

[CyclonusArmada 0]

Oh brother, whine, whine, whine! Poor Prowse, bitter at not being cast in the new SW films and somehow assuming that all SW fans hate the prequel films, which is not true. Why do the new films have to be EXACTLY like the original trilogy? I am glad they are different, complex in different way, but apparenly it's not good enough for Sour Grapes Dave and others who have to spend money making a movie about their whining...

[Lurker 5]

Why do the new films have to be EXACTLY like the original trilogy?

Because 2/3's of them were good. 8O

Neil

[A24 4,364]

Just because he doesn't like the prequels does not mean he's bitter. Don't you think that's an easy way to write him off? Many grownups don't fancy the prequels. Sure, you prequel fans, label him all you want, but you're forgetting he doesn't like ROTJ either, which is an original trilogy film! In my book this man is just insightful.

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Alex Cremers

[MrScratch 294]

I think it's funny that Lucas has brought back as many actors/performers as possible to reprise their roles from the OT except Prowse (Frank Oz, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, Peter Mayhew.)

Jeff

[Figo 2]

Jeez, cut Prowse some slack already. I don't think he comes across as bitter at all, at least not in this interview. On the contrary, he seems quite happy with his life. He even went so far as to make optimistic statements about RotS. What more do you fanboys want? The prequels suck, okay? Get over it. Boohoo, Prowse the former weight-lifter disagrees with the painty-waisted prequel lovers. You're all girrrrrrrrrrrrly men.

8O "We luvs the prequels. George can do no wrong."

[Jeshopk 8]

I think it's funny that Lucas has brought back as many actors/performers as possible to reprise their roles from the OT except Prowse (Frank Oz, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, Peter Mayhew.)

Well, it actually makes alot of sense. He didn't bring back Jeremy Bullock for the Jango costume.

The logic goes like this:

Frank Oz - Only his voice could be Yoda

Kenny Baker - He wasn't in R2 in Phantom Menace, but George decided to put him in AOTC and ROTS to give him a little more life. Any midget would have done, but Kenny just has that shifty way.

Anthony Daniels - Still skinny after all these years. Only he could do the voice. And with limited mobility of the suit, age didn't matter.

Ian McDiarmid - Was severely aged in ROTJ. His natural age now leads into it. He's also the only non masked returning character.

Peter Mayhew. The eyes and mannerisms had to be right.

Now when we consider Prowse and Bullock, both played masked characters who were not masked in the Prequels. So using the real facial actors makes for better in-film consistency. Younger men could better approximate the way they moved in their costumes than the 25 year older actors could back when. And David Prowse is severely arthritic now, which would mean he would move differently anyway.

[Luke Skywalker 1,806]

Kenny Baker was in R2 in TPM.

I could swear it, but now im not so sure...

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Kenny Baker was definitely in TPM.

[MrScratch 294]

Frank Oz - Only his voice could be Yoda

Mark Hamill can do a pretty good Yoda

[CyclonusArmada 0]

Just because he doesn't like the prequels does not mean he's bitter. Don't you think that's an easy way to write him off? Many grownups don't fancy the prequels. Sure, you prequel fans, label him all you want, but you're forgetting he doesn't like ROTJ either, which is an original trilogy film! In my book this man is just insightful.

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Alex Cremers

I happen to be a grown up, 32 years old, who loves the original trilogy and also enjoys the prequel films. Prowse openly complained awhile back when he was not cast in Episode III to play Vader, which is a slap in the face to Hayden Christenson, in my opinion, who does a fine job, Prowse just assumed that no one else could fit the suit. Since then, to me, his comments have seemed bitter. ROTJ is no ESB but it still has some kick ass moments, many of which include Vader!

[A24 4,364]

A person: "Hey, I think Battlefield Earth is a bad movie."

A Battlefield Earth fan: "You sound bitter!"

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Alex Cremers

[ChrisAfonso 188]

That comparision doesn't work, Alex...

BTW, Jeremy Bullock is in RotS, he has a cameo as a pilot (I think).

[Eplicon 53]

Prowse has burned too many bridges and only now decides to have his one fleeting moment of glory returned.

He and Lucas had some kind of falling out years ago. I think part of it was that Prowse kept on blabbing off too much to the press on a number of things and the other was his firm belief that he should've been the one unmasked at the end of ROTJ. Is it any wonder why he was never asked back to appear in the prequels in any capacity? They didn't even bother using him in the computer game tie-ins where Vader appeared.