George Lucas introduced the character of Darth Vader in the 1977 sci-fi film Star Wars. The character became an instant hit with the audience and quickly attained an iconic status. The fearsome and ruthless Vader’s character was expanded in future installments. However, the first film presented Lucas with a unique challenge when crafting the character.
During an interview, Lucas revealed his greatest problem with Vader’s character. The filmmaker admitted that making the character menacing without showing his face, and expressions proved to be a major challenge. Here is what Lucas said about overcoming the challenge, making Vader one of the best villains in cinema history.
George Lucas Revealed the Greatest Problem He Faced With Darth Vader in Star Wars
The character of Darth Vader first appeared in 1977’s Star Wars, directed by George Lucas. Vader quickly became one of the fiercest on-screen villains and also the film’s breakout character. Despite being the film’s villain, Vader gained legions of fans because of his menacing presence.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Lucas revealed that he dealt with his biggest challenge in making Darth Vader scary without revealing his face. The director explained that despite the character’s physical appearance he struggled to make him evil and menacing.
He’s done a lot of horrible things in his life that he isn’t particularly proud of. Ultimately, he’s just a pathetic guy who’s had a very sad life.
Lucas made the above statement, highlighting how the nuance of the character’s personality couldn’t be explored because of his physical appearance.
As a result, the filmmaker realized that how Vader carried himself would speak monuments about him as a person. Therefore, Lucas gave the character a very impersonal way of dealing with things, making him truly ruthless and menacing in his presence on screen.
George Lucas Explained Why Darth Vader Became the Breakout Character of Star Wars
In the same interview, Lucas also discussed what made Darth Vader a fan-favorite character despite him being the villain of the first movie. The director explained that Vader was powerful and did not have regard for rules, which instantly made him appealing to the audience.
People like villains because they’re powerful and they don’t worry about the rules.
Furthermore, Lucas added that Vader was meant as a cautionary tale for adolescents, who are more susceptible to becoming less compassionate and losing their self-identity. Therefore, Vader appealed to the target audience but also gave them a very important message.
Meanwhile, Lucas also talked about James Earl Jones‘ iconic vocal performance as Darth Vader, which was every bit instrumental in making the character iconic. Lucas eventually got a chance to explore the nuance of Vader’s personality in Revenge of the Sith, where he could show off the character’s expressions before he donned his iconic all-black look.
The Star Wars movies are streaming on Disney+.
