David Prowse Used Darth Vader's Mask To Sneak NSFW Improv Into Star Wars
When actor David Prowse was filming "Star Wars" back in 1976, he knew that his face would be obscured by a mask, but he hadn't yet any clue that his voice was going to be dubbed over by another actor. Famously, Prowse's vocal performance was replaced by award-winning actor James Earl Jones. Fans of "Star Wars" may have come to associate the character of Darth Vader with both Prowse and Jones, but there was a period when Prowse was miffed he wasn't able to provide his own vocals. Jones has said that Darth Vader belongs entirely to Prowse, as his voice wasn't so much a performance as an enhancing special effect.
By the time the 1980 sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back" was being made in 1979, Prowse knew the score, understanding that his voice was to be used as a place-holder until Jones could be brought in to dub it over. This allowed Prowse to be a little more playful with his performance, as well as additional leeway to flub lines. If he didn't say something correctly, he knew his performance wouldn't make it to the final film. Prowse provided Darth Vader with his intimidating body language, but, secretly, he was improvising, messing around, and even cussing on set.
In J.W. Rinzler's book "The Making of The Empire Strikes Back," Prowse recounted his silliness and even some of the choice four-letter words he dropped into certain scenes. The other filmmakers were working hard to ensure Darth Vader was evil and corrupt. Director Irvin Kershner started putting thought into what Darth Vader might look like under his mask and even included a scene where audiences briefly saw the back of his exposed head. Prowse was busy talking about pooping.
'Hemorrhoids do not concern me, Admiral'
Prowse recalled that he was able to get away with naughty language because his mask had no microphone in it and he had to shout his dialogue through it. Even then, most of the crew couldn't hear him. Being heavily muffled, that gave Prowse the freedom to cuss up a blue streak. In the above-mentioned scene, where audiences can see the back of Darth Vader's head, Admiral Piett (Kenneth Colley) enters Vader's meditation chamber to inform him that a ship they were pursuing has entered an asteroid belt. Prowse knew he said the following, even if Colley didn't:
"When I was wearing the mask, people had difficulty hearing me, so I used to change my dialogue. I'd take a line like, 'The asteroids do not concern me, I want that ship,' and change it to, 'Hemorrhoids do not concern me, I need a s***.'"
What I wouldn't give to see a cut of "The Empire Strikes Back" with Prowse's voice dubbed back into place, using his original improvisations.
Prowse's comments are particularly funny, given the somber tone of "The Empire Strikes Back." The original "Star Wars" was a lightweight space adventure that bore the clunky, pulpy spirit of the low-budget 1930s sci-fi serials that inspired it. "The Empire Strikes Back" was thuddingly downbeat, taking broad archetypes and trying to make them into more dramatically intense characters. It's no wonder that "The Empire Strikes Back" was such a critical and financial bomb, and its failure may explain why there haven't been any "Star Wars" movies or TV shows since.