by Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Most signatures do not have a story associated with the famous person doing the signing. Sure, you'll be telling your friends about this moment all your life, but for a top performer at your local symposium, this was just a weekend afternoon during the off-season. However, the man behind the most famous Star Wars characters of all time has his signature wild story, one that's both sad and spiteful. David Prowse was wearing the Vader suit but was called out 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 spiteful with his signatures, you have to understand the history of bad blood between the late, great David Prowse and George Lucas. It all started with the original Star Wars movie. Prowse was a tall bodybuilder who was hired because his impressive physique made him perfect for the role of Vader. But his voice didn't really fit: late Carrie Fisher It was once revealed that the cast nicknamed Prowse “Darth Farmer” because of his country English accent, and Lucas hired famed James Earl Jones to recast all of Vader's lines in a move that surprised Prowse.
Suddenly renaming his famous character probably wouldn't have been enough to ruin the relationship between the two men, but what drove a wedge between Prowse and Lucas was an incident that occurred in 1978. Prowse and other Star Wars actors were signing autographs when Darth Vader The actor revealed that his character was actually Luke Skywalker's father. In fact, The Empire strikes back It hadn't been written yet, so everyone's favorite on-screen cyborg was talking out of his exhaust port. He just happened to accurately predict what would be released one movie later.
By the end The Empire strikes backLuke isn't sure if Vader is really his father or if this was a strange Dark Side trick meant to emotionally manipulate him. Return of the Jedi It was confirmed who Luke's father was, but this big reveal was spoiled for fans one year before the film's release by a UK tabloid. Because of the previous incident, Lucas always blamed Prowse for the leak, and the results were swift and brutal: Prowse was ostracized during filming, replaced by Sebastian Shaw in Vader's only unmasked scene, and banned from attending official Star Wars conventions until 2010.
However, you could say that Prowse had the last laugh. Being temporarily banned from official Star Wars conventions hasn't stopped him from appearing at other Comic-Con events around the world, where he signed autographs for legions of fans. He made sure that each signature was a statement in itself: “David Prowse is Darth Vader.” Some saw this as a mockery of James Earl Jones, but we see it as a way for the actor to remind people of his accomplishments in a franchise that has been increasingly distancing itself from him.
This Star Wars story with its signature sad and spiteful undertones is clearly not a feel-good story, but we like to think it helps us remember something important about the franchise. Fans tend to choose single creators (e.g. George Lucas, Dave Filonior Rian Johnson) when a movie or TV show in a galaxy far, far away crashes and burns, but the truth is, it takes a village of creatives to bring our favorite stories to life. To celebrate Star Wars is to celebrate all those who have been part of something that always gives fans tremendous joy.
David Prowse played one of the most important parts in the early days of the franchise, and we can only hope that his remaining family knows that we don't need an autograph to remind us of a simple, profound truth: now and forever, David Prowse is Darth Vader.
source: Mashable
