James Earl Jones famously voiced the sinister Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, but as much as he provided the iconic tone to the widely distinctive line, “I am your father,” the actor does not see his role as a true acting job. In fact, he gives the credit to David Prowse, the bodybuilder who wore Darth Vader’s costume on set.
As one of the most celebrated actors with a lengthy career in both films and theater, having Jones in the Star Wars production was an honor. Although he admitted he had fun playing the villainous part, he cannot take home all the glory for it.
James Earl Jones Gives All The Credit To David Prowse As Darth Vader
James Earl Jones wrote in his 1993 autobiography James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences how he landed the role of Darth Vader and how he looked at this performance as a voice actor. He was not the first choice for the part as the film’s producers initially contacted Orson Welles and Victor Jory, who were both busy at the time.
The actor recalled how he needed the job as a quick paycheck, and both he and George Lucas thought it was just a casual gig. The filmmaker needed a voice in the bass register, and also because David Prowse has a slight Scottish accent. Jones stated:
“George began to look for someone to do a voice-over. 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.’”
He went on to voice Darth Vader for more Star Wars installments, video games, and merchandise. The actor ultimately loved playing the role of the Sith Lord, although he could not take all the credit for the success and fame of the character.
Jones praised Prowse for his work as the on-set Darth Vader. The late actor and former bodybuilder had to wear the suit and mask all the time, and his gestures were what the audiences saw in the movies. It was he who gave the character a tangible manifestation that is menacing and wicked altogether.
The Lion King star noted that his contribution to the character was a mere sound effect needed to distort someone’s voice:
“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.”
Indeed, both Jones and Prowse made an outstanding performance as Darth Vader, as without the other, the character would never have a complete personification.
James Earl Jones Has Retired From Playing Darth Vader
As James Earl Jones has finally retired from acting, he has also left the role of Darth Vader. This does not mean that the iconic villain will no longer make an appearance in the Star Wars franchise as Jones has signed over the voice rights of the character to Lucasfilm and the Ukrainian A.I. audio company Respeecher.
Darth Vader will continue to menace the galaxy as the company has already experimented on how to de-age Jones’ voice to make it sound like he did in the 1970s. This artificial intelligence performance has been used in Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jones has been credited for it.
