Star Wars has become much more than a franchise ever since the first film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope premiered in 1977. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and, Carrie Fisher as the lead trio, the film introduced veteran actor David Prowse as Darth Vader.
Although Prowse acted as Darth Vader, the voice of the character was superimposed by legendary actor James Earl Jones. Being known around the world for being the voice of Darth Vader, millions of fans love him for it. However, the actor revealed that he doesn’t consider the role of voicing Darth Vader as true acting!
Darth Vader From Star Wars Isn’t Real. Never Was
We mean, he is real in the hearts of countless fans of the franchise. However, the role of Darth Vader was nothing more than a quick buck for the actor who voiced the character throughout most of the Star Wars franchise.
And no, we are not twisting words or taking things out of context. It was legendary actor James Earl Jones himself who said these words and sent fans into a frenzy. With David Prowse portraying the role of Darth Vader, i.e. donning the costume and doing all the scenes, Earl Jones provided the iconic deep bass voice of the character we know and love.
But before he was approached by director George Lucas for the voicing role, James Earl Jones was in need of a quick buck. In his 1993 autobiography titled James Earl Jones, Voices and Silences, the actor wrote extensively about his life and his role as the voice of Darth Vader. The following is an excerpt from his autobiography:
After he put the film together, George Lucas decided that he wanted a voice in the bass register. I don’t think that David Prowse is a bass. David also has a slight Scottish accent. So, George began to look for someone to do a voice-over.
He further continued,
I understand that George did contact several actors to read for the voice of Darth Vader before he contacted me. I was out of work and he said ‘Do you want a day’s work?’ and I said ‘Sure.’
James Earl Jones had further written in his book that “it was fun” voicing the role of Darth Vader but in the end, it started off as a quick-earning job for Earl Jones. Although he voiced the role of Vader, that doesn’t mean that Jones forgot about David Prowse, the actor who actually portrayed the role!
James Earl Jones Did Not Forget About David Prowse!
It was David Prowse who was actually doing all the physical stuff that Darth Vader is seen doing in the films. Although James Earl Jones found fame by simply voicing the character of Darth Vader, the veteran actor did not forget Prowse.
On the other hand, Earl Jones gave the entirety of Darth Vader’s fame to David Prowse by saying that the actor was Darth Vader. In his autobiography, James Earl Jones further talked about how Prowse created the character of Vader from the ground up.
In his writings, Earl Jones stated that he considered himself as just special effects and gave credit to Prowse for making Darth Vader the way he is!
David Prowse worked very hard to create the character Darth Vader. He is Vader. I just consider myself to be special effects. That’s how I approached it. I just sat there and had all the fun of playing my voice like an instrument.
James Earl Jones last voiced the character of Darth Vader in the 2022 series Obi-Wan Kenobi. The mini-series received great reviews and fans often talk about Earl Jones to this day.
With rave reviews and a global cultural phenomenon to its name, the Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
