George Lucas has joined the legions of Star Wars fans, actors, and creatives paying tribute to the late David Prowse, who passed away this weekend. Prowse was the physical performer who wore Darth Vader's memorable suit of armor for the original Star Wars trilogy, creating an intimidating villain standing at 6-foot-6. Prowse was 85 years old when he passed.
Since then, tributes to Prowse have been pouring in across the globe, without whom Darth Vader may not have become the iconic villain he remains today, over four decades since first appearing on the silver screen. Mark Hamill, who starred opposite Prowse as Luke Skywalker, showed that their rivalry on-screen gave way for respect and admiration off-screen, writing a touching note upon Prowse's passing. Others who have paid tribute to Prowse on social media so far include William Shatner, Warwick Davis, Joonas Suotamo (who has played Chewbacca in recent films), and Rosario Dawson, who just made her first appearance as Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian.
George Lucas, the creator of the franchise, is now expressing his condolences over Prowse's death. In comments made to StarWars.com, Lucas spoke about how Prowse's physical presence lent itself perfectly to the kind of character Darth Vader was meant to be. He said:
David brought a physicality to Darth Vader that was essential for the character. He made Vader leap off the page and on to the big screen, with an imposing stature and movement performance to match the intensity and undercurrent of Vader’s presence. David was up for anything and contributed to the success of what would become a memorable, tragic figure. May he rest in peace.
Before playing the character of Darth Vader, Prowse was a weightlifter and bodybuilder, which helped him create the trademark physicality of the character. Prowse also auditioned for another role in the franchise that requires strength and impressive stature: Chewbacca. Peter Mayhew, who went on to play the Wookiee, actually stood almost a foot taller than Prowse, who was no slouch himself. Mayhew also passed away recently, back in April of 2019.
The portrayal of Darth Vader was truly a team effort in the original trilogy. Prowse provided the physical performance, while James Earl Jones served as the voice of the character and Bob Anderson served as a stunt double for many of the lightsaber battles. Additionally, Sebastian Shaw was revealed as the man under the helmet when Darth Vader met his demise at the end of Return of the Jedi. All of these portrayals worked in tandem due to the brilliance of Lucas. It's only fitting George Lucas joined the chorus of those paying tribute to David Prowse, who made Darth Vader into a villainous icon of the Star Wars franchise that will stand the test of time.
Source: StarWars.com