At the end of November, the world lost another Star Wars legend: actor David Prowse, who played the galaxy’s most iconic villain, Darth Vader, across George Lucas’ original trilogy. While James Earl Jones lent his voice to the character, it was Prowse who defined Vader’s hulking physicality and brute strength – a character voted by Empire readers as the greatest movie villain of all time. In the new Mandalorian issue of Empire, Prowse’s co-star (and on-screen son) Mark Hamill payed tribute to the late actor, recalling his original meeting with the man behind the mask.
“The first time I met Dave was when he came on set in the full Darth Vader outfit,” recalls Hamill. “I’d seen Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art, but to see it fully realised was stunning. A big part of that was just Dave’s size. He was a towering figure with this magnificent presence. Although we didn’t know it at the time, we were seeing the creation of one of the most iconic, enduring and feared villains of all time. That’s a tribute to him and to George Lucas’s storyline, because he’s only in that original film for less than ten minutes.”
If Vader on screen was terrifying, Hamill says that Prowse himself was anything but. “I want Dave to be remembered for what a kind and genuine person he was,” he states. “It seems so ironic that someone as ruthless, cold-hearted and evil as Darth Vader was portrayed by someone who was really a gentle giant. Dave was the opposite of everything Darth Vader was.”
Read the full tribute in the Mandalorian issue of Empire, on sale now and available to order online here.